


The Trio of Evil

by Ecrivaisseur



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flashbacks, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Kidnapping, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 19:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4404731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecrivaisseur/pseuds/Ecrivaisseur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Well because, dearie, we all want the same thing," he began, "Our happy endings - and this town can give us just that."</p><p>Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella suddenly find themselves in Storybrooke, Maine, brought together by none other than Rumplestiltskin. Tired of villains never winning, he convinces the three witches to team up to get something that has long been denied to them: their happy endings. However, they need a curse to do it, a curse which will require the heart with the greatest potential for darkness. What will they be willing to do to get it? Anything. A retelling of the Queens of Darkness in Storybrooke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Trio Arrives

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-telling of how the Queens of Darkness came to Storybrooke. I hope you like it!

Chapter One 

The Trio Arrives

The trio of darkness slowly walked along the stone roads of the town, carefully examining their surrounding in the dark. This strange, small town was something quite new to them. Nothing like the place they had once called home. At the front was the blonde, the leader and perhaps the evilest of the three. She moved cautiously, darting her black eyes from side to side, taking in her surroundings with a watchful eye, ready at a moment's notice to defend herself. The black horns atop her head gracefully jilted from side to side with her movement, and her dark gown dragged behind her. Next to her strutted the black and white-haired, the haughtiest of the ladies. She swayed with confidence and ease, with the occasional watchful stare, as she huffed and puffed smoke. Fur dangled from her shoulders, and her gloved hands swung at her side. The last of this trifecta of evil, the brunette, the most skeptical and outspoken of the group, strolled behind them. Her heels clicked along the asphalt, as she gazed suspiciously about, the scales of her attire reflecting the light of the buildings and shimmering in the night. She tightly held a purse in her arms as she offered a wan demeanor.

As the triumvirate reached the center of the town they stopped and looked at each other.

"Well, ladies, it appears he is not here," growled the blonde Maleficent.

"Was this nothing more than a trap?" exclaimed the white and black-haired Cruella in her snobbish, British accent.

"This is the Dark One. We should have expected nothing less from that imp," hissed the brunette Ursula.

They looked about for a moment, perhaps expecting him to appear.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Cruella.

"I say we gut that little troll Rumplestiltskin like a fish," snarled Ursula.

"This town is small. Let's burn it to the ground and then find the imp and his maid," suggested Maleficent, a ball of fire emerging in her hands, with nods of agreement from the other two. However, before they could begin this task, they were suddenly interrupted by a voice from behind them.

"Now, now, ladies. I wouldn't do that. This town can be of great use to you," oozed the well-dressed Rumplestiltskin, "And so can I."

"And the man of the hour is here!" groveled Ursula.

"Rumplestiltskin," sniffed the fur-clad lady, "How nice of you to join us-"

"In this land, it's Mr. Gold," the Dark One corrected.

"Why have you brought us here?" questioned Maleficent fiercely.

"Well because, dearie, we all want the same thing," he began, "Our happy endings - and this town can give us just that."

"How?" interjected Ursula, her arms crossed.

"In this town," he spoke, pointing his fingers towards the ground, " you will find exactly what you need to enact your curse."

Suddenly, from underneath her coat, Cruella pulled out a silver pistol and pointed it at the man. "You've promised us this before, Rumple, how do we know you won't go back on your agreement, again."

Unfazed, The Dark One shook his head and laughed. With a twirl of his fingers, the fur lady's gun disappeared into smoke. "I guess you'll just have to trust me," he said.

"That's not in the least reassuring," sneered Maleficent.

"I once thought that I could get what I wanted by myself," he started, "But now, upon further reflection - and some really bad ramen noodles -" he hissed looking at Ursula, who rolled her eyes, "I have come to conclusion that the only way I can get my happy ending, the only way we all can get our happy endings, is to work together as a team."

The three ladies reflected on this for a moment, each remembering their own tragic pasts. Suddenly, Cruella spoke:

"What's your plan?"

He smiled as he turned away from them and started strolling further down the street.

"Walk with me," he shouted back to them.

The trifecta looked at one another and then started to follow, each very eager as to what he had to say. And as they made their way through the streets, Rumplestiltskin revealed his plan as to how they were going to _take_ their happy endings.


	2. Setting Up Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queens of Darkness and Rumplestiltskin get accustomed to Storybrooke life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter picks up where the previous one left off. I tried to give off some glimpse of the Queens of Darkness' past. I really hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Two 

Setting Up Camp

"What's your plan?"

"Walk with me."

"It's simple. Make friends, build relationships, appear as if you are trying to change," the Dark One explained, the flaps of his jacket flapping from side to side with each step.

"We're supposed to socialize? That's how we get our happy ending?" Ursula barked with sarcasm in her voice. She didn't have time for games, and that is exactly what his plan seemed like. "Locate your goal and find the quickest way to conquer it," her father had always said to her.

"Yes, dearie, it is," he retorted, turning around once again and stopping them in their tracks. His hazel eyes slowly shifted to each of them. "Because while you three garner the trust of the residents," he continued, " I'll be busy finding what we need to cast our curse."

"Which is what?" Maleficent asked, tilting her head slightly upwards, wondering if Rumple really did know what it would take to get their happy ending. She was conflicted. The blonde deeply hoped that the little man did truly have the answer to her problems, yet, after all she had been through, she couldn't help but be skeptical of him. She had learned long ago to never, ever, fully trust anyone. Everyone is capable of betrayal.

"The heart with the greatest potential for darkness."

The three queens thought on this - could this really be what they needed to enact their curse?

However, as they thought about it, and whose heart is could possibly be, their minds all came to one name, the person whom they all believed to be the evilest hearted. A person they were all fully aware and familiar with. She was one of their own. Their stomachs ached, and their skin shuddered as they all hesitated to speak the name of the person they thought.

"Regina, darlings" Cruella finally spoke, slightly wide-eyed, her stuffy accent elongating the "re" of her name, "her heart is the darkest of anyone."

"There is no way we'll ever get a hold of her heart. It certainly won't be inside her," the sea witch added with worry.

"Where is Regina, anyway? You said she was here in this town, but I don't see any angry mobs with torches or any execution platforms," the blonde Maleficent asked, her lush lips slightly ajar and her green eyes once again looking around their surroundings.

"You dearies have severely underestimated the Evil Queen's abilities," the imp replied, "She has changed. She is no longer the fierce bitch she once was. Now she's the mayor."

The trifecta furrowed their brows. They were unable to believe that the dark, sinister, evil queen they had known was even capable of change. So full of rage and revenge, willing to destroy anyone and anything that got in her way. _No way_ , they thought.

"That's not possible."

"It is indeed, dearie," Rumple slyly replied, "But now, you queens of darkness, I suggest we find a place to set up camp."

* * *

 

"The fashion in this land is so strange…"

Maleficent complained as she looked at her appearance in the mirror. She was dressed in something called a pantsuit, in the color of gray, with a long overcoat draped over her shoulders. Since her headdress would be out of place - Rumple said they had to blend in - she wore a matching fedora atop her golden locks, which were wrapped intricately in a bun that was swept to the side. All the gray she wore nicely augmented her pale white skin. However, the queen of evil much more preferred her black robes and staff.

"Tell me about it," murmured a glowering Ursula, the sea witch gently brushing one of her tentacles with her gloved hands. She thought the attire in this land was far too restrictive, and not nearly revealing enough. She did like not having to wear a corset, though.

"I rather fancy the furs in this world, darlings, much more variety than the Enchanted Forrest," Cruella admitted matter-of-factly, heavily reapplying her lipstick in another nearby mirror. Her diamonds clinked against her breast as she leaned in and pressed her thin lips outwards as she painted the dark red color.

Since their meeting the night before, Rumplestiltskin had moved them to an abandoned mansion outside the city. It was a large, empty place, with lofty rooms and sparse furniture. No one was quite sure who it belonged to, but it wasn't on the town map, and it would provide them with a shelter till they were able to integrate themselves into Storybrooke society. You would never know they were there,as the place was desolate except for Cruella's black and white 1985 Zimmer Golden Spirit that was parked in front of the entrance, something she insisted on. The Queens of Darkness were right at home.

"Of course my fabulous collection is mostly gone now, thanks to those bastards. At least they took Carl with them," she continued, "though they could have left off with the theatrics. It was quite embarrassing, darlings!" she continued, referencing back to her life in the outside world, before Rumplestiltskin had contacted her.

"Oh stop complaining. You lived in a palace, while I was stuck working at an aquarium," Ursula jabbered as she lounged down on dusty sofa that was positioned against a paneled wall, flinging back her waterfall of brown hair, "I could barely afford to feed my precious babies!" she said, lamenting the deplorable state of her fish.

"Both of you had it better than I did!" Maleficent hissed, turning around towards them, her hands on her hips, "I was trapped in a wretched cave, you should-"

"Ladies, ladies!" suddenly interrupted a familiar voice from above, booming through the high walls of the room, "there's no need to argue."

The trio turned from their bickering to the smiling Rumple, who stood on the balcony that graced the room, leaning over the ornate, brass railing. He was dressed in an outfit similar to the night before: black suit, dark red shirt, striped tie, his cane at his side. His thin hair was neatly combed to the sides in it's usual fashion.

"Rumple, so glad you could join us, darling" Cruella drawled as she waved her cigarette holder in the air, spreading green smoke throughout the room. The dark animal fur she wore drooped from her shoulders as she continued, "What brings you here?"

The old man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and reappeared at the entrance of the room, his thin body leaning against the creaking doorway. He propped his cane at his side and slowly a grin formed from his lips.

"It's time to begin the first phase of our plan."

"It's about time," Ursula interrupted, rolling her eyes "All we've been doing is sitting here."

"I assure you, dearie," he cooed, turning to her, "You won't be sitting much these next few days. We have work to do."

Ursula sneered maliciously at his response, tilting her head slightly and laying her hands in her lap.

All three of the ladies were very eager to get started. Their lives had been wrought with misery and unhappiness for so long. It was time for that to change. They were hesitant to trust Rumplestiltskin. He was aware of their secrets, their pasts, their histories, and he could at any moment use that against them. However, they knew that he was their only hope in achieving their happy endings, because that's exactly what he, too, wanted.

"What do you have in mind?" Maleficent questioned with dour, a watchful eye and batting thick eyelashes appearing from underneath her hat. Without even looking at her, the dark one responded.

"It's time you paid a visit to your old friend, the Evil Queen."

Maleficent's mind wandered back to the faint memories she had of the girl, Regina, before she became the Evil Queen. They were happy memories, some of the few she had, and a smile almost crept across her face in remembrance. However, their parting had not been a pleasant one, and, besides that, Regina had trapped her as a dragon in that cave for what seemed like forever. She wondered how Regina would react upon their meeting.

* * *

 

Regina Mills hurried across the sleek, marble floors of her kitchen, in what seemed like her usual rush. She was dressed in a dark suit and skirt with a blue silk shirt and grey high-heels. Her jet black hair, brushed elegantly to the side of her shoulder, gleamed under the bright lights that dangled from the ceiling. She may now just be the mayor, but she seemed queen-like to be sure.

In her hands Regina carried two slices of bread, ham and some cheddar cheese. She gently places these items down on a paper towel, next to her sink, and prepared her task: making Henry's lunch. Though he lived with Emma, Snow and Charming, Regina still liked to walk him to the bus stop at Granny's, and always brought him a packed lunch for school. He loved ham and cheddar cheese sandwiches, and Regina faithfully made it for him every morning.

She smiled at her son's obsession with grilled cheese. They both had their tendencies, to say the least.

She was interrupted from her cookery by the mysterious sounds of heels clinking up the steps of her entry way. She paused to listen to the sudden sound. Who could that be? She thought, furrowing her brows. The sound grew quickly, then, suddenly, it stopped. _They must of reached the edge of the steps_.

"Hello?" she demanded. No response. "Emma? Is that you?" she repeated. Still no answer.

Regina set her son's packed lunch back onto the counter, and stomped through the kitchen door and into her dining room. Turning towards the entryway, she was stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed in shock at the figure of her old friend standing gracefully before her, one hand placed on her hip, the other laying gently at her side.

"Mal…" Regina uttered, blinking nervously, the rosy color of her cheeks now white. Her expression was haunted. Her heart beat voraciously against her ribcage, while her stomach dropped. No, this can't be, she thought.

"Hello, Regina," Maleficent oozed lovingly, the edges of her thick lips tilting slightly upward in a smile. Her head was bent slightly, ready for the brunette's reaction. Regina had, after all, stolen from her, threatened her pet, and then locked her away in a cave for thirty years, before sending someone to kill her.

The blonde's mind couldn't help but flicker back to the first time she had met the brunette. Regina had been sobbing vigorously in the forrest, Maleficent remembered very clearly, because she had overheard her while passing through. Regina had been upset about how she had fallen in love with some stable boy, but her mother would never approve of it. Maleficent, at the time, had been having problems with Stefan, and together she and Regina had bonded over their love lives.

Despite the downcast of their situations, it was a warm memory of the blonde's, and, as she stood there looking at that same chocolate-eyed girl, it caused her heart to warm in remembrance.

"But you're…" Regina spoke, interrupting Maleficent from her own thoughts, trying to make sense of what was going on, "you're dead, or at least supposed to be."

"You're right," she agreed, taking a step forward, and calmly nodding her head, "I was dead. But I was revived."

Regina's face grew even more confused, as she furrowed her brows together and squinted her eyes slightly. She failed to notice her visitor slowly advancing towards her.

"How?"

"A mutual friend of our's," she explained, taking another step forward, her. She was hesitant to give Regina much information, lest she decide not to join them.

"Rumplestiltskin," Regina murmured to herself, realizing it could be none other than him. She should have known he would be up to something, it had been almost three weeks since he was banished. She had sought comfort in knowing that the imp had also been denied his happy ending, though it appears he, unlike she, had made progress in his attempt to reclaim it.

"That's right," Maleficent answered. She looked deeply in her old friend's eyes. The shock had now faded, replaced with something more: a burning. However, unlike the burning the blonde had always seen in her friend's eyes, this wasn't a rage for vengeance. It was a different type of flame, one that Maleficent couldn't quite figure out.

As the surprise of seeing someone return from the dead surpassed, the witch could see her friend's real appearance. She looked worn, like she had been searching for something for quite sometime, but had been unable to find it. Weary perhaps. Maleficent's heart, the sliver that wasn't stone, went out to the brunette.

Regina finally noticed the blonde's movement toward her. There must be only reason she is here, the brunette thought, I trapped her in a cave, and before that I stole the curse from her, and then I threatened her horse and her, as well. If she had done all that to me, I probably would have tried to kill her by now.

"Are you here to kill me?" she blurted grimly.

Maleficent closed her eyes and let out a snort. Regina's bluntness had always made her laugh. Even when she was at her saddest, she could count on Regina to cheer her up with her humor. She had missed that.

"No, Reg, I am not here to kill you," she started, looking towards the ground.

Regina let out a small sigh. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that. She didn't have the energy to summon a fireball that early in the morning. Magic could be tiring.

With that out of the way, she once again prodded. "Then what are you here for?"

Maleficent once again looked at Regina, her green eyes locking with her chocolate-colored ones. She batted her thick eye lashes, as Regina brushed away a lock of her hair from her face. There was a slight pause, and then, with as much sincerity as she had ever had, she delivered an answer that the Evil Queen wasn't at all expecting.

"I want to be your friend again."


	3. Getting Acquainted, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Evil settles in to the town of Storybrooke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit long, so the next chapter will be a continuation of it. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy it, too!

Chapter Three 

Getting Acquainted, Part 1

The horn of Cruella's black and white car shrieked in the air, bursting through the sound barriers, as the vehicle raced through the streets, like a wild zebra, swerving from side to side of the road, giving no heed to anyone or anything that might get in their path. The engines roared with their speed, leaving a cloud of black smoke trailing behind them. The sheer noise caused by the engines, let alone the horns, let everyone that was in a ten-mile radius know that Cruella De Vil was near.

The car flew through the town of Storybrook at the speed of light, causing cars to swerve to the side and people to race off the streets, lest they should come into contact with the front of Cruella's car.

Screeching to a halt against the sidewalk, the hood of the car crashed into a pair of silver trash cans that went clanking against the ground, spilling garbage everywhere. The shiny doors of the vehicle popped open and out stepped Cruella, her black and white faux coat slinging from her long arms, and Ursula, a multi-colored scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. Both had mischievous expressions etched on their faces as they strutted to the business they had stopped in front of: a homely, small, grey and white building, with bright white blinds and several tables and white chairs outside. A large sign hanging from above the entrance blared in bright red "Granny's Diner."

* * *

 

"Hello, darlings!" Cruella exclaimed with open arms as she and Ursula entered into the cafe.

The gentle hum of chatter from the diners ceased as they turned to look at the two ladies. An expression of shock, surprise and worry fell over their faces as they sat wide-eyed. Almost everyone was familiar with the dastardly deeds of the sea witch and the fur-coated lady.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Granny demanded from over the counter in her stern bark. She may no longer have been a wolf, but she still could sound like one.

"We've come for some drinks, darling," Cruella replied cheerfully. A smug grin danced on Ursula's lips from behind as she looked at the horrified faces from around the room. _Such weaklings_ , she mumbled in her mind.

The Chernabog that had plagued Storybrook the day earlier had managed to stir all the residents of the town up, so the news that Regina and Emma had let Cruella and Ursula across the town line hadn't spread to everyone. It was clear that no one in the diner had been made aware, either.

Seemingly not noticing the horrified faces of everyone there, Cruella strutted across the sleek floors of the restaurant and to the counter. She brushed her hand soothingly against her fur as she spoke to Granny.

"I'll take coffee, dear, black with no sugar," she drawled, her earrings clinging with her movement,"Oh, and do you have any pepper here?"

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in the pawn shop that stood not far away, Belle shuffled through the papers that laid on the table before her. They were Rumple's, well had been his, before she had banished him. It had been weeks since it had happened, yet she still couldn't believe her husband was gone. It felt unreal to her, unimaginable. She half expected him to walk through the door, greeting her with a kiss and grin, and telling her of something he had found in the shop. She could've sworn she could hear his cane clicking along the sidewalk just then. But, like everything else, it was just a figment of her imagination.

The backroom of the shop had grown cluttered and crowded since he'd left. Belle had procrastinated going through it as long as possible, trying to avoid his memory. She already moved out of the house they had lived in, moving to an apartment above the library, where she had spent most of her time these past two weeks. She had only returned to the shop two days ago, with the goal of remaking the place into her own.

"Alright," she murmured to herself, "I am going to get some work done."

Suddenly, before she could make any real progress, she was interrupted by a the sound of a loud horn ringing through the air, as we'll as the roar of an engine, followed by a screeching noise and a crash.

"What could that be?" she thought aloud in her thick accent, setting down the papers in her hand. She rose from the stool she sat upon, listening to hear more. Her light blue eyes looked up, her ears concentrating on the sounds she heard. _Nothing_ , she thought, _not a sound_.

She was proven wrong when, a moment later, the bells hanging over the entrance rang, signaling someone, or something, had arrived. _I guess they failed to notice the 'closed' sign hanging above the door_ , Belle thought to herself.

"I am sorry," she said, walking to the front of the shop, "But we're clo-"

Belle stopped in her tracks, bug-eyed and slack-jawed. Terror rippled through her body as she stared face to face with the object of the memories that had plagued her the past two weeks, the man only moments before she had been thinking of: her husband, Rumplestiltskin.

"Rumple," she stumbled, "I…I…"

*snap*

In an instant, with a click of the Dark One's fingers, the brown-haired girl's eyes rolled back as she fell against the counter, unconscious, her arms sprawled over the edges, deeply and lastly asleep.

A demeanor of sadness fell over Rumple as he slowly walked over to his wife, and gently patted her back. _I've missed her so much_ , he thought.

The dark one wouldn't have dared to show himself out in public, but he had to see Belle. It had been weeks since their parting, and Rumple had grown so lonely in New York. Ursula had hardly been much company, when she wasn't nagging at him. That, and, somewhere deep inside him, he wanted to test her reaction to seeing him. Had she forgiven him? Did she want to see him again?

Based on how she froze and stumbled when she first saw him, Rumple wasn't hopeful.

"Belle…" he whimpered, his eyes gloomily cast upon her sleeping body.

But then he realized, he had a task to accomplish.

Moving to the backroom, he twirled his hand in the air, sending the whole room into a sputtering flurry. Objects, papers and the such raced through the air, spinning and circling around the dark one as he quietly whispered to himself some chant. The chant of the dark one.

His grasp snapped shut as the object he desired smacked against his outstretched palm. He breathed a sigh of relief. For as much as he hated it, he was certainly glad to have it back. The smooth ridges of his possession felt cold, like they hadn't been touched in some time. Two weeks, to be exact.

The dark one played with it in his hands for a moment, familiarizing himself with it. _Who was he kidding_ , he mumbled to himself in his mind, _how could he ever forget it_ ; he certainly didn't this time. The jagged blade, the black bumped handle, his name darkly etched into the silver; no, it was all familiar to Rumple. Never could he forget the one thing that he prized most. His weakness...

His dagger.

Sliding the knife into the pocket of his coat, the Dark One limped back to the front of his shop. Standing before the sleeping beauty laid across the counter, he twirled his hand once more and a cloud of purple smoke appeared and disappeared in an instant, also taking with it his wife.

Rumple peered through the entrance to the backroom to see Belle laying peacefully across a stack of papers, as if she had just fallen asleep while sorting through clutter. _It's better if she thinks that this was a dream_ , he thought.

* * *

 

"Ah darling, how much longer for those drinks?"

Granny glared from behind the counter at Cruella and Ursula, who had both taken a seat up at the bar. They now leaned forward, eagerly awaiting the beverages they had ordered. The elderly lady shot the two a dirty look and walked away, acting as if she hadn't even heard them.

Cruella's high arched brows bent towards her eyes as she murmured under her breath to her companion.

"If that old bag still wolfed, I'd turn her into a coat for my collection."

Ursula rolled her eyes in agreement as she turned in her chair to welcome the jingles that sounded from the entrance, announcing that customers had arrived. The look on her face turned sinister as a man dressed in black leather with heavy black eyeliner walked through the door, followed by a cheerful blonde in a red jacket.

 _Hook_ , the sea witch remembered in her mind.

"Hello Captain," she snarled as his eyes met her's. He hadn't been paying attention, but with the sound of her voice, he instantly recognized her.

Stopped dead in his tracks, Captain Hook quivered as he stuttered:

"Ur-Ursla…"

The fur-coated lady's chair squeaked as she spun around to get a full view of the fight that was about to go down, or at least sounded like it was. Her eyes were instantly pleased with the man that stood before her. He was tall and slim, slightly muscular in his arms, with dark features and beautiful eyes. His black eyeliner and hair were particularly seductive to Cruella. _What a fine piece of man_.

"Hello, handsome," she exclaimed to Hook, though he didn't seem to notice as he swiftly walked past the two ladies, avoiding both their glances. Ursula's hate-filled eyes followed.

By this time, the blonde, who turned out to be Emma Swan, had walked in behind the pirate. She gave one quick glance at Cruella and Ursula, a skeptical one, before seeing Hook stepping quickly through the diner and to the back room. Her brows furrowed as she ran after him calling:

"Killian! Killian!" She seemed confused.

Ursula's eyes remained fixated on the door that led to the back of the diner, where the pirate had ran to, her mind fluttering with memories of what had happened between them. Of what he had done to her. How he betrayed her. A frown had frozen across her face with disgust.

 _I was so foolish to trust that pirate_ , she thought, _to put my trust in a human_.

The memory of that night had remained ingrained in her mind. She thought about it every day; it pained her daily. She had been so hurt, so crushed… so weak.

"A sea queen must never be weak," she whispered to herself under her breath.

"What's that, darling?" Cruella asked, hearing the quiet voice of the sea witch.

"Nothing," Ursula replied softly, turning back to the counter. Realizing that they still had not been served their drinks, she looked up and groveled, "How about we take our business elsewhere?"

"Splendid idea. The service in this establishment is absolutely terrible."

* * *

 

The Dark One shuffled around the backroom, making sure everything looked just as it had when he had arrived. He sighed as he scooped up a pile of papers from the floor, setting them calmly on the desk. He could've just cleaned the room up in an instant using magic, though he didn't. He wanted to spend every last second he could with Belle before he had to leave.

Though he languished now, it would only be a matter of time till he would be happily reunited with her again. The curse he was planning to cast with Cruella, Ursula, Maleficent and, hopefully, Regina, would unsure him that.

 _Regina_ , he thought.

Rumplestiltskin actually felt sorry for his friend. They had originally been in it together - they were really the only villains in this town, against all those heroes - and, though it didn't always seem like it, he really did want her to get her happy ending, too. She was originally supposed to be his, until Cora had broken their agreement on a technicality, and even so, she was still his apprentice. He taught her all the magic she knew. In a way, his caring for Regina was somewhat a fatherly one.

As the man turned around to leave the back room, he stopped where he stood as the familiar ringing of the bells above the entrance gently flooded through the air. Someone had entered the shop.

Instantly the Dark One clouded himself in smoke, reemerging in the form of his sleeping wife. Curiosity had gotten the best of him. He had to see who was checking in on Belle.

'Belle' made her way to the front of the shop, smiling kindly, to greet whoever had just entered the shop. Rumple expected it to be one of those deplorable Charmings, or Emma Swan.

He was unpleasantly surprised to see an unfamiliar man making his way across the room towards him. He was of medium-height, on the smaller side, well-built with a shaved head and thick eyebrows. Rumple was disgusted, though since he was 'Belle' he forced a welcoming grin across his face.

"Hello, love!" the man said in deep, accent, one that half-reminded him of Cruella's, though much less stuffier. As the stranger walked into the light, Rumple could see his face better. He realized now that he did recognize the man. He had worked for Cora in Wonderland, as her knave or something.

 _Cora always did have an endless string of men at her fingertips_ , the disguised man thought to himself.

Yes, that's right. He was her knave. The Knave of Hearts.

"Good morning, Knave," Belle greeted warmly, coming around from behind the counter, as his wife would have done. He had always been great at acting.

The Knave responded by planting a deep, juicy kiss on the soft lips of the person he believed to be Belle, wrapping both his arms around her back. At first shocked and surprised, the Dark One then grew to be furious and angry. He instantly filled with rage. _This wimp had the nerve to kiss his wife_! As Rumple prepared to rip his heart out - knowing very well he would enjoy crushing it to dust - he refrained himself. He was Belle, and she would never do that.

"Excuse me!" 'Belle' said, pushing the man back, "But I'm a married lady."

A look of confusion fell across the Knave's face as he uneasily replied. "Belle is everything alright? We've been together for two weeks now. Did you eat some of the mushrooms that I brought back from Wonderland? You know what those do to memory!"

With the Knave's very words, Rumplestiltskin's heart sank deep into his body. The realization burned in his chest as his mind came to the conclusion. _Belle had moved on_.


	4. Getting Acquainted, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team evil continues to settle in to Storybrooke.

Chapter Four

Getting Acquainted, Part Two 

"So you're not mad at me, Mal?" asked an unsure Regina, as she clutched her steaming cup of coffee, though she failed to notice the heat.

After finally determining that neither wanted to kill the other, Regina sat Maleficent down in the dining room and went into the kitchen to go make something to drink. She had brewed up two cups of coffee for herself and her friend, stalling a bit in the kitchen to avoid having to go back out and face her guest. She wasn't sure Maleficent's intentions were truly to 'become friends' again. She didn't know what she had planned, or even how Rumplestiltskin and the two other idiots had resurrected her, or why they did it, but it definitely wasn't so that she and the blonde could rekindle their amity. She certainly suspected something was up. _Perhaps she could prod Maleficent further?_

When Regina finally had emerged from the kitchen, she had tried as hard as she could to try and make it non-awkward, sweeping across the room and to the side of the table where Maleficent sat. However, the blonde could easily tell what the brunette was trying to do, and quietly chuckled to herself. _She always did wear her emotions on her face, I've missed that_ , the witch thought.

"No, Reg, I am not mad at you," Maleficent gently responded, "Like I said, I am here because I want to be friends again."

"Right…" the brunette drifted. Maleficent could tell her friend was having trouble believing her, so she quickly interjected.

"I know it may seem hard to believe, but I really do. I've changed, Reg, all three of us have. I guess that's what spending 30 years in this strange land does to you."

"Yes, I guess it does," Regina drawled. _She stills sounds unconvinced_ , Mal thought.

"Regina," the blonde said, leaning in closer and taking her friend's hands into her's, "When I was brought back from the dead, I didn't feel anger or hate towards you, but sadness. Sadness because of how distant we had grown during our last days in the Enchanted Forrest. I was quite lonely in that cave. I didn't even realize where I was - it was a purgatory of sorts. But Reg, I missed our friendship; I missed you and still do."

The brunette smiled warmly towards her friend as she reached out and squeezed her hand. She still was suspect of Maleficent's true intentions for being there, especially with Cruella and Ursula, but she was glad that they had restored their friendship, in some form at least. She was uneasy, though, to be sure. Now that Rumplestiltskin was back in town, the four of them could cause quite a bit of damage if they wanted to. But where was he? Regina wondered, _where is he hiding? He is far more dangerous in hiding than out in the open_.

"I've missed it, too, Mal," Regina voiced, her dark greens eyes locking with Maleficent's, "And, you're right. You have changed. I can tell."

"From what I've seen, anyone can change. I mean just look at yourself, Reg," Mal pointed out, her stare locking with Regina's as she continued, "You are no longer the girl I used to know, the girl who was so dead set on getting revenge for her lover. The girl who destroyed village after village to find Snow White. The girl who cast a curse just to separate her enemy from her true love. You've changed, Regina."

This truly pondered the blonde witch. As much as she wanted to deny it, Regina truly had changed. Even the brief conversation that they had had thus far was evidence enough of that. No longer did the brunette speak with hate or manipulation, or suspicion as Maleficent herself did. Instead, she spoke with a sense of more understanding. Much like how she had first met her.

This change worried the blonde. She doubted Regina would join their cause if she was suddenly good, if she really had changed. It made her curious to know what had caused her old friend to change, and also if it could be used against her.

Yet, Maleficent could tell something more was going on. As she had noticed before, Regina had a longing weariness in her eyes, as if she had been searching for something for sometime and had been unsuccessful. She had only been in this land for a short time, so she had little idea as to what it could be.

"The Regina I knew would've stormed down and killed that brat Snow White - I am assuming she is here, yes?" the blonde explained.

"Things are different now…" Regina uttered, her voice drifting away as her mind faded back to memories of when she was the Evil Queen. All the terrible things she had done… looking at it now, she really had come along way. She had grown. _If she had changed that much, maybe Maleficent, Cruella and Ursula really could change_?

"How? What's changed?" Maleficent questioned.

She wanted to know what had caused her friend to change so. Whatever this thing is, or was, based on the look in her friend's eyes, had remarkable influence on her. This thing had changed perhaps one of the evilest hearts she had known. What was it?

And then, Maleficent noticed it as she looked around the room. How had she not seen it before. Seeing her old friend had caused her to be distracted, but now, she could see the signs everywhere. The backpack the laid against the staircase. The crude and messy drawings that hung variously on a large silver box Maleficent could see through the doorway in the kitchen. In the pictures that were dotted about the table and walls, all of Regina and a mysterious young boy, one that the blonde didn't recognize, but knew full well what it meant. Regina had a son.

"I have a -" the brunette started, noticing her friend's eyes wandering about the room and her realization.

"A child," Maleficent finished, still gazing in surprise off in the distance. This changed everything. It all made sense now. Regina had changed because of her child. The witch's cold heart fell, both with happiness for her friend, and also sadness, remembering that she, once, was almost a mother.

"Yes," Regina said reluctantly. She was worried what the blonde would do with information.

As the news flushed upon Mal, she still wondered about that look in Regina's eyes. A look of searching. Wait, she paused to herself. She hadn't seen the boy in the house. Surely if Regina had a child, he would be living with her. Then it hit: _She must be trying to find her son_ , she thought.

"I am so sorry," whispered the blonde to the brunette. A look of confusion and also curiosity fell over Regina's face as her thin eyebrows arched together.

"Being a mother is not something to pity. It's been the greatest blessing of my life, one of the few things to truly make me happy."

Now it was Maleficent's turn to be confused.

"I am referring to your son being missing."

Regina shot a glare at her friend as she proclaimed: "My son isn't missing."

The blonde was throughly perplexed. If not her child, then what was it? What had she been searching for?

"Then what is it, Reg? I can see it in your eyes - you're weary, you're tired. You've been searching for something that you've lost. Something you loved. I know because it's the same look you had when you were searching for something to bring back Daniel. What is it?"

The brunette sighed and looked down. All these emotions were running towards her: sadness, anger, remembrance. The same emotions that appeared to her every time she thought of Robin. She had been searching, futilely, for weeks, and had found nothing. She thought about Robin constantly, and the last time she had seen him, when he had crossed the town line with Marian and Roland. _Me, Robin, Roland and Henry_ , she remembered. She had been happiest then.

"You've been away some time, Mal…" Regina started, avoiding her friend's glance. Even now as she started to talk about him, her heart began to flutter. _Robin Hood_.

But then, she paused. She was still suspicious of Maleficent and her intentions. Robin Hood was her love… her weakness, something that Maleficent and the other three could use against her if they wanted. She couldn't - no she wouldn't - put his life in danger until she was certain of their true motives.

Maleficent leaned in closer. _Yes_ , she thought, _finally I will know what it i_ s.

"Motherhood, unfortunately, does that to your eyes, Mal," the brunette admitted, much to Maleficent's surprise, "It isn't a longing for someone, but something: sleep."

The blonde witch knew Regina was lying. The brunette was searching for someone. Maleficent was never wrong. If she won't tell me now, she will eventually.

For once, Maleficent conceded the battle... for now.

"I suppose you're right, Reg," Maleficent reposed, acting as if she believed her, "If you ever need anything to help you sleep, I have a few curses that will do."

Regina forced a chuckle and smiled at her old friend across from her. They sat for a moment, silent, before Regina suddenly spoke: "Where are fish sticks and pound puppy? With Rumple?"

The brunette hadn't seen either of them since the day before, when she and Emma had let them cross through the town line.

"I haven't a guess as to where they are. They didn't tell me their plans for the day."

This worried Regina. Cruella, Ursula and Rumple, somewhere loose in Storybrooke and not even Maleficent knew where they were. She could only imagine what they were up to…

"Well I should be going," the blonde suddenly started, rising up from her chair, "It's been good seeing you again, Reg."

"You, too, Mal."

Maleficent turned away from the brunette and walked towards the door, calm and cool, disappearing instantly with the blink of Regina's eye, as she always did. Regina let out a sigh of relief and slouched in her chair. She ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. _They're up to something, I can feel it._

* * *

The black and white animal that hung from the thin body of Cruella De Vil swept back and forth as she and Ursula bounced down the steps of Granny's Diner and to Cruella's car, which was still crashed up on the sidewalks nearby where they had left it. By this time, a small selection of people had gathered around it, inspecting the scene and gossiping to one another.

" _Is she really here? Is Cruella De Vil in Storybrooke?_ "

"Get back you awful peasants…." the fur-coated lady sniffed as she and the sea witch walked up to the car, "I just had the hood cleaned and I won't let your dirty paws ruin it!"

The crowd dispersed instantly with the sound of her stuffy voice, scrambling to get away from the two witches. The chaos sparked laughter from both the ladies.

"Oh how I love watching them do that," barked Cruella, clapping her long fingers together.

"Like fish dispersing upstream," smiled Ursula.

Once more they both let out hallows of laughter as the quickly yanked the shiny doors of the car open and fell in.

* * *

Across the streets, in the shadows of his pawn shop, Rumplestiltskin observed the scene that had just taken place. A devious smile spread across his aged face as he quietly shut the door of the building behind him, careful to avoid causing much noise or garnering any attention.

 _The distraction worked_ , he thought to himself. Yet he couldn't smile for long.

Reflections of what had just occurred played back and forth across his mind, again and again, over and over. What that man had said to him, that he and Belle had been... together... since he had left Storybrooke. Chills rushed through the Dark One's body. He couldn't breathe. His heart ached for Belle...

Belle banishing him from Storybrooke had been bad enough, but also that she's moved on with that man. _He'd make that man pay for taking Belle from him_.

When he had been banished, he had realized something: his love for Belle was something wholly different than anything he'd ever felt before, completely different from the love he had had for Milah and Cora. Milah, the rotten wench she was, had provided him with Baelfire and several happy years of marriage. And Cora, rest her soul, had made him feel alive and had gone through the same suffering he had. Together they could've easily conquered all the realms. But Belle, she was vastly different from Milah and Cora. His love for her was unexplainable. Not only that, but he couldn't survive without it. He would win her back, eventually.

Twirling his hand, that Dark One simmered away in a cloud of smoke.


	5. Ashes and A Shocking Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary Margaret and David try and prevent Cruella and Ursula from resurrecting Maleficent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes on a new perspective than the other ones, from the point of view of Snow and Charming. I thought that with the heavy POV's of the Queens of Darkness, we should also see where the heroes are coming from. I hope you like it!

Chapter Five 

Ashes And A Shocking Realization

_"Oh how I love watching them do that!"_

_"Like fish dispersing upstream!"_

From across the street, in their truck, Mary Margaret and David Nolan watched horrifyingly as Cruella and Ursula got into the black and white monster that was parked outside the diner and then sped off. They eyed the two suspiciously until they were far out of sight, wishing, in the back of their minds, that they would never, ever have to see them again. However, the couple realized the unlikeliness of that.

"David, what are we going to do? What if they tell everyone what happened? About what we did?" Snow worriedly asked her husband.

"I don't know, but we can't let that happen. No one must ever find out about what we did. It would ruin everything," David uttered.

Snow turned towards the man next to her, grabbing his arm with her gloved hands. Her usually cheery expression was gone, replaced with one of fear and seriousness.

"We worked so hard to keep the darkness away from Emma, to make sure she turned out good. If they told her what we did to - ," she paused, painfully remembering what had occurred long ago in the Enchanted Forrest, " - what we did to Maleficent's baby. She would never forgive us."

They sat in silence for a moment, reliving the memory they both had tried so hard, for so many years, to forget. And it had worked, too. With Regina's curse, and then suddenly getting their memories back, they hadn't really had time to think about it. Of course, with Neal's birth, they had been reminded of it, but they were too overjoyed at their new child to really think about it. Now, however, it was all coming back to them.

_"Please…" Maleficent had begged them, "I can't lose my child."_

They had promised to bring her back, the baby, but the sorcerer sent it t some other land. They had acted like monsters.

If Snow could, she would go back and do it all over again. She couldn't bear the guilt that weighed on her heart. The same guilt she had felt when she killed Cora. The thought of her heart turning black made it all even worse.

But then, nothing could ever change that. It was too late, Maleficent was dead.

_Or was she?_

"David," Snow suddenly interrupted the silence, growing even more worried than before, "you don't think those two are trying to resurrect Maleficent, do you?"

David, initially shocked at the thought, stayed silent and wondered if that was really possible. _Could she really be brought back to life?_

"Would that even be possible?" was his confused response.

"Anything can happen when it comes to dark magic, David. We saw it with Cora, Pan and Zelena. Maybe Cruella and Ursula found a spell to bring her back to life…" Snow drifted off for a moment, losing her mind in thought. Her face then turned cold as ice with her sudden realization. "And if they bring her back to life… David that means one thing: she'll be coming after us and Emma. After what we did to her, she'll want to destroy-"

"Stop. Don't think about that," David interrupted his panicking wife, "we don't know that they are trying to bring her back to life for sure."

"The three of them always strutted about together, don't you remember when she introduced us to them? What else could they be here for?"

David laid a hand reassuringly on his wife's shoulder, attempting in vain to comfort her. "What we do know, is that to resurrect her, they would need her ashes…"

His wife, catching on, continued with what he was saying, "which are still under the library, in the cave where she was killed."

"Exactly," David calmly reassured. He had a plan on what to do.

"So this is what we do. I'll go retrieve the ashes from under the cave, and then dump them out over the harbor where Ursula and Cruella will never be able to find them. Meanwhile, you catch up to them and follow them where they are going. If we can find out their hiding place, then maybe we can figure out what they're up to. I'll meet up with you after I dump the ashes."

"David, I don't like the idea of us splitting up. We work best when we're together…"

"And we will be, but we can't lose their trail. We need to know why they are here in Storybrooke."

"Alright, David. Call me as soon as you've gotten rid of them."

* * *

 

_"So you found her ashes?"_ asked a frenzied Snow White to her husband. She couldn't believe it.

"Yes, Mary Margaret. Just where we thought they would be, in the cave," David responded to his wife over the phone.

David had been equally surprised to find the ashes as well. He almost expected them not to be there. What Snow had said to him - _why else would Cruella and Ursula be there?_ \- had made him wonder if that was really the reason they were back. It made sense. Those three were close.

But now, they wouldn't have to worry about that. As soon as he had found them, piled up right in the middle of the cave where she had been killed, David had scooped up her ashes into a jar, walked as fast as he could to the harbor and scattered it about the water. Thankfully, no one had seen him.

"And you threw them into the ocean?"

"Yes, as quick as I could. The remains of Maleficent are now floating about the bottom of the harbor."

Mary Margaret let out a great sigh of relief as she fell back against the plush seat of her and David's truck. A great burden was suddenly released off her shoulders.

_Maleficent wasn't coming back. Their family was safe from her wrath._

But a feeling was rising up inside her. The same feeling she felt after taking Maleficent's baby. It was a terrible feeling, one that ached inside of her. It lurked about, finally revealing itself to her mind. _It was the feeling of darkness._

Not only had Charming and she wronged Maleficent once, but now twice. All in the name of good.

No, all in the name of keeping their family safe.

How far would they go to protect them?

"Did you manage to catch up to Ursula and Cruella?" David asked his wife, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Yes," she replied, "they drove out to an abandoned house in the middle of the forrest and went inside. I parked behind a cluster of trees near the driveway so I can see the front door clearly. They haven't left and are still inside."

"Okay, good. Stay there and don't move. I'll be there in an hour."

"Alright."

As Snow clicked her phone shut, her mind once more fell back to her last encounter with Maleficent. The painful memory she had struggled with before the the curse, that practically had eaten her away. Her mind had shoved away that memory for so long. Now she couldn't forget it.

_"What kind of people are you threatening a child… Please have mercy…"_

Snow closed her eyes once more in pain.

* * *

 

David knocked on the driver's side door of the car, just over an hour later, as he'd said. Out of breath, he panted heavily as he sat down beside his wife. Clearly he'd been running.

"What happened?" Snow immediately asked as he sat down. She could tell something was up by the look of guilt on his face.

"I ran into Emma at the harbor," he admitted shamefully, "She saw me dumping Maleficent's ashes into the water, and wanted to know what I was doing and where you were."

"What did you tell her?" demanded his wide-eyed wife nervously. This sounded as if it could only end badly. Emma could never know what they were up to. If she found out, it would all be ruined. The only reason it had gotten this far was to protect her from the truth.

"I said that the fairies had asked us to help safe up the water so that the mermaids could travel through more easily by pouring pixie dust in it, and that you were out getting more dust from Mother Superior."

"That doesn't make any sense. Pixie dust is useless in water. The fairies would never ask us to do that."

"I know, but Emma doesn't know that. How else was I supposed to explain me dumping a pile of dust into the water without actually telling her the truth?"

Snow felt terrible. After all the bad things they were doing, now they were lying to their daughter as well. But if she knew… that would destroy their family. Snow would do anything to protect that.

Hopefully their lie wouldn't come back to bite them.

"Still no movement?" David questioned.

"Nope. Nothing. Whatever is going on in there-" Snow shook her head, "we need to find out."

Suddenly, Snow opened her door and stepped out of the car, walking straight towards the mansion before them. Her arms moved rapidly as she strutted through the brush that hid them. She was determined to see what was going on in there.

Charming, initially surprised at his wife's sudden departure, quickly followed behind her, whispering:

"Mary Margaret! What are you doing?"

"Finding out what Ursula and Cruella are planning in there and if it involves any other villains from our past." She was going to discover what they were up to, and put a stop to it. She had come this far to protect Emma, and she wasn't about to let it stop now.

Maleficent may be gone, but who knows what other sinister being those two could bring back from the dead?

"You're just going to walk in?"

"No, of course not. I am going to look in through one of the windows and see what they are doing."

She didn't bother to wait for him to catch up. She wanted to know.

"Okay but Snow- wait for me!" Charming whispered again, finally rushing up to her. Grabbing her arm, he quietly led her around the bushes that dotted the lawn, careful so as to not be seen. They slid past Cruella's car, which was parked prominently on the driveway, and sauntered up to one of the tall windows that graced the side of the mansion. Slowly, so as to not disturb any noise, they peered through the bottom of the window into the vast room.

Snow and Charming couldn't see much thanks to the velvet red curtains that decorated the window from the inside. What they did see were various figures moving about the empty room, their shadows reflecting across the white walls from a great fire somewhere in the room. Lounged out across a dusty sofa, which appeared to be the only piece of furniture in the room except for some tattered mirror, was the figure of Cruella, wrapped in the black and white fur coat they had seen her wearing earlier. Next to her stood Ursula, her arms crossed, a look of displeasure dripping from her face. She was talking to someone who was further than they could see in the room.

They could make out partial parts of the conversation.

_"We can't trust her! She's with the heroes now… yesterday when they let Cru and I across the town line!"_ Ursula was barking in her usual tone.

_"Ursula's right, darling. She is thick as thieves with those heroes!"_ sniffed a disgusted Cruella from her couch.

And then, suddenly, Mary Margaret and David's hearts sank and their faces turned cold as a daunting voice responded to the two witches remarks. _No_ , they thought, _no this can't be_.

" _Heartbreak turned her into a monster once. Maybe it can again,_ " sounded the eerie voice of none-other than Rumplestiltskin.

The Charmings looked at one another in shock. Neither said anything, but both were thinking the same thing: _Rumplestiltskin was banished… how could he be back?_

However, the two had little time to react before another voice was heard in the, this one making them shiver even more, terror-filled, as their eyes widened.

They could barely make it out, their disbelief questioning the voice, until it grew louder as it came closer to them.

_"With a little effort, Regina can be swayed to our side. I am convinced of that."_

It couldn't be. She is dead. They disposed of her ashes...

Lightning thundered exactly at that moment, sending a breeze of air through Charming and Snow. Snow covered her face with the palms of her hands as Maleficent came into view of the window, joining Cruella, Ursula and Rumple, confirming their fears of who the voice was. Snow had been right all-along. Cruella and Ursula were trying to bring Maleficent back, and they had succeeded. She was back. And Rumplestiltskin was helping them.

Maleficent was dressed differently, like the other two had been, in modern clothes. She wore a gray suit and skirt, but was still easily recognizable. The Mistress of Evil slowly paced about the room, not noticing Snow or Charming in the window. Though she didn't see them, her mere presence taunted the Charmings.

Snow felt hopeless. She knew what this meant. There was only one reason Maleficent would be back.

Maleficent was going to try and destroy her family, just like Snow had done to her.


	6. The Dragon's Endorsement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maleficent stands up for her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter is a flashback to the Enchanted Forrest, pre-Regina's first curse. I wanted to do a parallel between the past and the present. From the title of the chapter, it should be easy to figure out what it is. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Six 

The Dragon's Endorsement 

Past. Enchanted Forrest, Pre-curse.

A massive fire roared fervidly in the the grand, stone fireplace of the regal, imposing great hall of the Forbidden Fortress, hidden in shadows of the mountains of the Forbidden Forrest. The flickering flames cast deep, tall shadows throughout the dark setting, the only source of light in the blackness of night. It was here, before the blaze, that the nefarious mistress of the castle sat, statue-like, in her stone chair, the black silhouette emitted by the flames that dragged behind her, lurking up against the wall, revealing her true form: dragon.

She sat, in silence, staring at the fire. Footsteps interrupted her gaze as she turned to see the dark figure of a man walking towards her.

"Maleficent! So good to see you're doing something productive," announced a sarcastic Rumplestiltskin, who stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the fire.

"I don't recall sending for you, Rumplestiltskin. You do know what I do to intruders don't you?" She turned her head towards him, though her body remained still.

She preferred to be alone.

"No, you didn't send for me, dearie. I decided to pay you a visit, something which you probably don't get often around here."

"You're right about that," Maleficent conceded.

The Dark One cheerily walked towards her, grinning deviously al the while and clapping his hands together. His footsteps patted lightly against the stone floor as he stepped directly in front of her, blocking her from the blaze of the fire, casting her in the shadows. She looked at him suspiciously.

"I must say that it's good to see you back to normal again. The last time I saw you, you were looking a little… out of it," the Dark One chirped, acting as if he cared.

"Yes, I am pleased to say that I am back to my old self."

Maleficent was hesitant to tell the Dark One about her encounter with King Leopold's young wife, her new friend, Regina, who helped her get her flame back so to speak. Regina had helped her realize the dragon she was. Not only that, but she had also helped her exact her revenge on Briar Rose by cursing her pretty-faced, however stupid, daughter, Aurora.

For that, Maleficent was eternally thankful to Regina. To spare her, Maleficent decided not to tell the Dark One about her.

"I guess Regina really did help you get your spark back," said Rumplestiltskin, as if he knew that's exactly what she was thinking.

Maleficent looked up at him menacingly.

"I should've known you sent her," she growled.

"I didn't, so to speak," he said twirling his hands around with his words, "She came on her own free will. All I did was tell her about you." He was grinning at her. _Clearly he was here for something other than a chat_.

"Why?" the mistress of the castle asked.

"Because I knew you could use some help in rekindling your certain ability, and she needed help with learning how to be patient. It was the perfect fit. And, also, I may have put your spell book in her mother's things for her to find."

"Of course you did," she snarled. She was tired of these games. She wanted to know why had come to her. "What do you want, Rumplestiltskin? Why are you here?"

The Dark One looked away and started walking around the lady, moving in and out of the shadows. He tapped his fingers together.

"Because, I need you," he said, pointing to her. "I have a curse I need enacted. I was planning on having Regina do it, however, the girl is weak, not strong enough physically or magically to perform the curse I need. I've tried to teach her, but her lessons have proved futile. She's not ready to learn."

"And you want me to try and teach her?" Maleficent spoke. She knew he was here for something, and she guessed that was what he was asking her to do.

_She needed to learn that no one could ever predict what the Dark One wanted._

"No, dearie," he explained, "I want _you_ to enact the curse for me."

Maleficent laughed sinisterly. "And why would I do that? My revenge has been taken. I've already gotten what I want."

"Yes, but with this curse, you can get a revenge even more pleasurable than the one you have now. It will take everyone to a new land, much different from this one. In time, Phillip will break the curse you put on Aurora, and then they will come for you. And your revenge will have ended. But in this new land, you can separate them. Forever. Permanently."

Once more the witch looked at him suspiciously. "What curse is it exactly you want me to perform?"

"The Dark Curse."

She was silent, for a moment. Then she responded.

"No. I will not do it." She turned away from him and looked at the fiery furnace before her. She would not take Regina's place enacting this curse.

Regina had helped her get what she always had wanted: revenge on Briar Rose and her bumbling husband King Stefan. Without Regina, that would never have been possible. She would never have been able to see her enemies suffer, something which she thoroughly enjoyed seeing. It brought satisfaction to her life.

Maleficent wasn't going to deny that chance to Regina. Regina had wanted Snow White dead for what she did to Daniel, and the Dark Curse would be her opportunity to get that.

 _They were friends._ Regina had helped her, and now Maleficent was going to do the same.

"Why?" asked the Dark One, "Do you not want to see your revenge last for eternity?"

"I've already gotten my revenge," hissed Maleficent, "But Regina hasn't. She has a fire in her soul, a burning. Have her enact your curse, she can do it. She's the daughter of Cora, after all. You of all people should know the power of her magic's potential."

"Why do you want to see her get her revenge? I thought _dragons_ only cared about _themselves_?"

Maleficent looked away. "Because she's my friend. And I believe in her. And when she does learn magic, with more might and power than anyone, one of the strongest sorceresses in the land, you, too, will believe in her."

Rumplestiltskin eyed her, darkly, contemplating her words. He was thinking deeply, that much was obvious. This curse meant much to him, clearly. He wanted someone who could perform it.

In the back of her mind, Maleficent pondered why he needed to launch a curse so badly, and so strongly. _Probably to gain more power_ , she thought. The Dark One was always after more power.

Maleficent knew Regina was capable of giving it to him. And though she realized that this curse would be enacted, and she would be taken to a new land, she neither cared nor feared. She had nothing to lose. The sleeping curse on Aurora would remain in any land, no matter what.

"Very well, dearie" the Dark One finally uttered. And with a twirl of his hand, he disappeared into smoke.

* * *

 

Present. Storybrooke, Abandoned mansion.

When Mary Margaret and David had seen Ursula, Rumplestiltskin, Maleficent and Cruella through the window in the mansion, they had been arguing. Arguing over one person: Regina. But, they hadn't started out arguing like that. In fact, just a few minutes before, they hadn't been arguing at all. Actually, they had been waiting. Waiting for the man who had brought them all together: _Rumplestiltskin_.

"We've been waiting around for hours, where is that damn imp!" impatiently shouted Ursula, throwing her hands up into the air. Her leather jacket squeaked with the movement of her arms. She tilted her head to her side, displaying her disapproval, and also causing her carefully parted blonde and brown bangs to brush across her forehead.

"Don't worry, darling, he wouldn't dare abandon us," Cruella reassured from her place on the sofa, gently waving around her cigarette-holder and letting out puffs of smoke, "without us, he wouldn't ever have gotten back into this wretched little town."

Maleficent, despite the complaints of her friends, remained silent, quietly staring out of one of the room's numerous, tall curtained windows and out onto the mansion's dark, shadowy lawn. She was deeply lost in thought. Somber thought, over her daughter, _the one those "heroes" took away from her_.

It was something she had thought about constantly while down in that cave, during those periods of reality. Most of the time, however, she had been in a perpetual paradox, conflicting realities, somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness, and had been unaware of what she was doing or where she was. Occasionally she awoke from this nightmarish state, but for the most part, she was in an uncontrollable, unaware being, feeling as if she was going to be there for eternity.

When she did awake, and remember what had happened, she always thought about her… _her precious child_.

She didn't even know her name. Snow White and Prince Charming had robbed her from them before she had decided on a name. _She was going to make them pay_.

"Mal?" interrupted Cruella, wondering why her friend was so silent, "something wrong, darling?"

"No," the blonde responded severely, turning towards them bleakly, "just deciding on how I wish to kill Snow White and Prince Charming."

Cruella De Vil grinned deviously as she stroked her fur coat. "Sounds fun, darling."

Maleficent smirked in reply.

"I wouldn't be making any definite plans," suddenly interjected the Dark One, who slowly entered the room, much to the relief of the witches. A 'finally' escaped Ursula's mouth as he laid his black jacket on a small chair nearby, and stepped to the center of the room. The three queens of darkness surrounded him on all sides.

"What do you mean?" Maleficent queried sternly, putting both her hands into the pockets of her gray pants. She had taken her suit off when she had gotten back from visiting Regina, and now just wore her vest, pants and tilted hat. Her blue eyes gazed at Rumplestiltskin blatantly.

"First," he responded, turning to her and slightly pointing his finger in the air, "how did your meeting go with Regina?"

"Fine. She was terrified to see me at first, but eventually we settled in." The Dark One had her see Regina as part of his plan, but hadn't told her why yet. "Why did you want me to see her, anyway?"

"Because, I originally thought we would need her heart, for the curse, since, as we all know, Regina's heart is very black," he paused for a moment, looking at each of them, "but that is no longer the case. I have found out whose heart we need, and it is not Regina's."

"Whose is it?" questioned Cruella.

"Emma Swan's."

The queens looked at each other, with faces of sudden realization. Eyes wide, they finally understood. It had been right there in their faces ever since that day in the Enchanted Forrest, at the Tree of Life, when they had found out Snow White and Prince Charming were to have a child. And since theirs was a product of true love, their child could be either the purest of heart, or the darkest of heart. _Emma Swan was the key to enacting their curse_.

Maleficent grinned on the inside. She revealed in this moment. It had been what Snow White and Prince Charming were so afraid of: their child becoming a villain. They didn't want to lose their child to the dark side. They had taken Maleficent's child from her, and now the villains were going to take theirs from them.

Not only that, but Maleficent also saw an opportunity: Since they no longer needed Regina's heart to launch the curse, then maybe she could join them.

"What about Regina?" asked Ursula, before Maleficent could, snarling with disgust, "If we don't need her heart, then what are we going to do about her?"

"She could join us," Maleficent proposed.

Cruella and Ursula looked at her crazily, loathing of the thought clearly displayed on their faces, but Rumplestiltskin's eyes lit and he disappeared into his mind. _He was thinking_.

"Not bloody likely!" bantered the black and white-haired lady from her seat.

"Regina does present an intriguing possibility," said the Dark One, contemplating the idea, "but the question is: can we trust her?"

"She's searching for something, it was obvious when I saw her, and we can use that to convince her to join our side. Whatever it may be…" the blonde started before she was interrupted by Rumplestiltskin.

"Not something, someone: Robin Hood. Her true love. He was forced to leave town and can never return. She's lost another love, and is in a lot of pain." The Dark One slowly started to pace, thoughts racing through his mind.

 _Robin Hood_? Maleficent thought. The man who had stolen from her on numerous occasions? _That was who Regina was in love with_?

The blonde shook it off. Though that seemed like an ill-fating pairing, t didn't matter. The only way Regina would ever be able to be with him was if she joined them. She was a villain, and villains don't get happy endings.

"And as you and I both know pain always makes you stronger," Maleficent furthered. She clasped her hands together on her front and waited for his response.

He once more remained silent, still considering the idea.

"We can't trust her! She's with the heroes now. It was blatantly obvious to see yesterday when they let Cru and I across the town line!" blathered the Sea Witch loudly. She most certainly didn't trust Regina.

"Ursula's right, darling. She is thick as thieves with those heroes!" continued Cruella on the same note.

The Dark One looked at them, having finally made up him mind.

"Heartbreak turned her into a monster once. Maybe it can again."

"With a little effort, Regina can be swayed to our side. I am convinced of that,"Maleficent reassured everyone.

Lighting thundered loudly, flickering the power momentarily and sending a vibration along the floors and walls.

"How will we know she's not playing us?" sniffed Ursula from her position near the fireplace. Her arms were crossed, showing her displeasure.

"We'll have to test her, of course," admitted the Dark One, though he continued, "Regina's smart. Not only that, but she's been hurt again and again. Maybe she'll realize that the only way to truly win and get her happy ending is by join us."

"I do hope you're right, darlings," Cruella interjected as she rose up from the chair she lounged in and walked across the room to the large closet adjacent to the doorway of the room. Opening the door, she slid off the black and white fur coat that dangled from her thin arms and tossed it inside. She leaned on the door and looked at them, huffing away at her cigarette.

"War is coming to Storybrooke, and when it arrives, everyone will have to choose a side. Let's just hope Regina chooses the right one," said Rumplestiltskin solemnly.

The Queens of Darkness looked at him, all very much aware of what he was referencing. _The war they were going to start. The war that would bring them their happy endings._

Excited at the thought, Cruella turned once more back into the closet and pulled out a loose, smaller fur coat, this one entirely black and lined on the inside with red silk. It fell to just above her waist. She stroked the puffy collar deviously, as if ready to start the fighting then and there.

They were interrupted, however, by a firm knocking on the front door of the house. They all exited through the doorway and into the entrance hall, their feet clicking against the marble floors in sync with the pattering of the heavy rain against the windows. They were curious as to who would possibly be knocking on the door of an abandoned mansion in the woods.

 _Perhaps a lost hitchhiker in the woods who see the lights on in the mansion_? If that was the case, Cruella insisted that they bring him inside and kill him. Ursula and Maleficent shared her sentiments.

So it was a great surprise to them all that when Rumplestiltskin opened the door, the person that stood before them was not that of a hitchhiker, but the fiery, though drenching wet, figure of none other than Regina Mills.


	7. A Villainous Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina attempts to sway the villains by hosting a dinner party.

Chapter Seven 

A Villainous Dinner Party 

"So, you really are back in town," Regina said as she stood at the door of the great mansion, sopping wet. She had only just arrived their moments ago, much to the shock of Cruella, Maleficent, Ursula and Rumplestiltskin.

"Regina?" the Dark One said, a hint of surprise in his voice. He was amazed to see her there, literally knocking on his front door, especially considering she had just been the topic of their conversation a moment ago, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard you were back and just knew you four would be up to something evil," she leaned in closer to Rumplestiltskin's face and whispered, "If you guys are here to destroy some happy endings: I want in." She stared into his eyes, appearing to be entirely serious. _She hoped he believed it._

After David and Mary Margaret got over the horror and surprise of seeing Maleficent, alive and well despite what they had previously believed, inside the mansion, they rushed back to their car as quietly and as quickly as they could and fled immediately. They were panicking, and, knowing Regina had a history with the dragon, decided to call and warn her. However, since Maleficent had visited her earlier that day, Regina already knew she was alive, and told the Charmings that.

"But Regina," Snow had explained desperately over the phone, "They were talking about you joining them. They want you to team up with them to destroy us."

Snow had been exaggerating slightly, since she didn't exactly know that that was what Maleficent and her friends were going to try and do, but she assumed that they were here for that. They had taken Maleficent's child and filled it with darkness. She would surely want revenge. They were villains after all.

"Why would they want to destroy you?" Regina had asked, "They may be villains, but you haven't done anything to them. It was me who you wronged." Despite what she said, Regina had gotten over what Snow had done to her, and Snow knew that.

"Because..." David added. Regina had been on speaker. "We did something terrible to Maleficent."

Regina could hear Snow start to cry. "Because of us, Maleficent lost her child."

Regina had been shocked. Firstly, because she never knew her old friend had been pregnant. That is something that Maleficent would have surely shared with her, and also it explained why Maleficent had earlier thought she had lost her child. She was still reeling from the pain of losing her own child. Secondly, Regina was slightly surprised that the "pure-hearted" Snow White and Prince Charming would have ever caused anyone to lose their child, though Regina had learned long ago not to be greatly surprised by what they did.

"Regina, please. You can't tell anyone, especially Emma."

"I won't. I have something else in mind."

Regina, realizing that she had been right in thinking that Maleficent, Gold, Cruella and Ursula were in town for more than a second chance, had decided that the only to figure out what exactly they had planned, was to team up with them. So she hung up the phone and had teleported herself to the doorstep of where the villains were hiding, the location given to her by Snow.

She had thought up this plan in a mere few seconds, but Regina was convinced she could make the villains believe she was one of them again.

Rumplestiltskin looked at the dark-haired girl carefully in the door. He stared at her, contemplating what he had been discussing moments before with the other villains. _Could they really trust her?_

"May I come in?" Regina asked curiously, still being blocked from entry by the Dark One, who stood in the doorway. He nodded slightly and moved out of the way, allowing her to come inside. She walked towards the center of the large entrance hall, her heels clicking along the floor, as the four villains encircled her like beasts about to pounce on their prey.

Regina, shook off the dripping water and took off her drenched coat, tossing it on the floor. The villains simply stared at her.

"So, what's the plan?" the Evil Queen asked, her head tilted slightly to her side. She looked back and forth at Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin, as they were clearly the brains of the operation.

Regina could already get a sense of what was going on. Besides providing protection and complaining, Ursula offered nothing else. Her tentacles were her only value. And the same with Cruella, who at least offered transportation and her powers of persuasion. But, they were Maleficent's friends, and they would know how to resurrect her. That was the only reason they were here, as far as Regina could tell, because they had been able to resurrect the dragon. Maleficent, however, offered real power and strength.

Ursula laughed wickedly at Regina, her nose snorting.

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?" Rumplestiltskin said, narrowing his eyes at her. He smirked. "Because, let me tell you, it won't be."

"Some of us don't exactly trust you, darling," Cruella spat as she stroked her coat.

"I know you probably don't think I'm telling you the truth, but I am," Regina explained, using her hands to further what she was saying. "My being with the heroes is a front. I've had to adapt, you see. The heroes overwhelm me here, I had no choice. I had to act like I changed so that I could survive. But secretly, inside, I am still the raging Evil Queen I always was." She summoned up a fireball to show them and grinned devilishly.

"You can't expect us to believe you," the sea witch snarled, tossing her head to her side and crossing her arms. One of her tentacles slid out from underneath her skirt and shot at Regina, wrapping itself tightly around her throat. Ursula snickered meanly as her tentacles twisted and turned around her neck.

The Evil Queen grabbed at the slimy limb clinging to her neck. "Let go of me!" she barked. Cruella laughed.

"The fact is Regina," Maleficent intervened, "that we don't trust you."

Regina thought for a moment of what she could do to show them that she was still evil. An idea suddenly popped into her head. "I can prove it to you!"

"How?"

"Tell this sea bitch to let go of me," she glared at Ursula, "and I'll show you."

"Alright," Rumplestiltskin said, nodding towards the sea witch, signaling her to let Regina go. She did, as much as she wanted to crush her pipes then and there. "Show us."

Regina gently rubbed at her sore neck, and nodded towards the front door, which was still open.

"Follow me," she said, leading the four villains outside into the rain. Instantly, they all became soaked, though none cared. They wanted to see what Regina had to show them.

She led them down the lawn, across the driveway, to exactly the spot where Snow and Charming had told her they had parked. They were, of course, long gone by now, but the imprint of their car's wheels were still slightly visible, being mostly washed away by the rain. It was hidden by several finely trimmed bushes, and that, combined with the blackness of night and the severity of the rain, had made it impossible for the villains to see it from inside the mansion. They looked eagerly now, however.

"Just a little while ago, you had visitors," Regina motioned her hand towards the tire marks, "Snow White and Prince Charming. They were spying on you. I know, because they called me and said they were, and also that you four were planning on destroying them. That's why I came, after all."

"This is nothing but a pile of bloody mud!" Cruella exclaimed, seeing nothing but mush. Her boots were sinking deeply into the mud, but she didn't notice. The same with the shoes of the other villains.

The Dark One squatted down to get a closer look at the imprints, waving his hands over it. Magically, the water cleared away, and he looked closely at the now very visible tracks that were once there. Regina eyed him suspiciously from behind, hoping he would believe her. It was, after all, the truth.

"She's right, there were tire tracks here," he finally determined, standing back up, "But that doesn't prove anything. For all we know, you could still be working with Snow and Charming. Or maybe, this wasn't their car at all. Maybe it was _your_ car."

Regina sighed, throwing her hands in the air, trying once more to determine how to prove to these villains that she was still one of them. Maleficent, herself, arched an eyebrow at the girl and wondered very much how she could prove it.

"Fine, I'll show you that I'm still evil."

"How will you do it this time? We don't have long. You see us villains intend on getting our happy endings soon. And if you want to be a part of the winning team, I suggest you prove to us you're still one of the bad guys. And fast," Rumplestiltskin explained.

As much as he himself wanted Regina to join their side, he needed to be fully sure she could be trusted.

"Come to my house for dinner and I will prove to you that I am not with the heroes."

"A dinner party?" Cruella asked, surprised, "Are you going to show it by wining and dining us, darling?" She glared at Regina.

Rumplestiltskin looked at her, his eyes once more narrowed. "Fine, but you better make a damn good argument."

Regina smiled sinisterly. "I can do that, and make equally damn good lasagna."

* * *

 

Cruella De Vil's black and white car raced down the well-lit street of the neighborhood, jerking her occupants back and forth inside, much to her enjoyment. The crowded car was seeping with smoke for her cigarette, and smelled vaguely of fast food. The fur-clad mistress grinned demonically as she slammed her foot on the brake, sending Rumplestiltskin, Ursula and Maleficent suddenly jerking forward, and the car stopped directly in front of the residence of Regina Mills.

Slightly dizzy and carsick, the four villains stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk and stood before the large, white mansion. They were there for dinner.

"This is where she lives?" asked Ursula, gazing at the mighty structure. Though the place wasn't large, it was a palace compared to her tiny, run-down apartment in New York.

"It is indeed," the Dark One answered.

It had been a day since Regina had invited them to dinner, one which they spent mostly sharpening their knives and practicing their spells. Since it had been revealed that their former hide out, the abandoned mansion, had been compromised, Rumplestiltskin had proposed they move to a new location. He selected the large, also abandoned, Storybrooke Cannery warehouse building, which sat along the docks. It was hidden among a cluster of other abandoned buildings, and would be the perfect 'lair' for them.

"I've seen better," Cruella De Vil sniffed at the Mills residence, remembering her much larger estate in Long Island that she had been forced to abandon. She missed the place… _it had such large closest!_

"Shall we go inside," Maleficent suggested, walking past the hedgerow fences and onto the walkway leading directly to the front door.

The villains had turned out relatively well-dressed for the occasion. Maleficent, leading the group, stepped along the stone walkway dressed in a gray skirt, black, silk shirt, a black tie, her hat, and a large, gray overcoat draped over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was still coiffed into an elegant bun. Rumplestiltskin followed behind dressed in his usual black suit, with a bright red tie and shiny, brown shoes. Cruella was next, wrapped in another fur coat - this one white with a heavy fur collar - and slim black pants and shirt, her thick boots clomping against the ground. She was dripping in diamonds. Ursula took the rear in her purple, scaled leather jacket and a jade-colored dress. Her brown and blonde locks of hair was braided neatly behind her.

Regina Mills, seeing them walking towards the house through the windows greeted them at the door, wearing a skin-tight red dress. "Come inside," she said, spreading her arm out to welcome them inside.

She closed the door behind them.

The villains walked to the center of the entrance hall and looked around. Regina had done a fine job decorating, that couldn't be denied. However, they weren't there for decorating tips. Regina had said to them that she could prove she was still one of them. Rumplestiltskin and the Queens of Darkness were eager to see how she could do it.

"I still don't see how serving us dinner will prove anything other than you're a good cook!" Ursula snapped, throwing her hands up in the air. She looked at Regina nastily.

"It's yet to be determined she's a 'good cook'…" Cruella corrected, slipping off her gloves and walking towards the dining room. "Do you have any gin darling?"

Regina twirled her wrist and a glass of the toxic liquid appeared wrapped in palm. She handed it to the black-and-white-haired lady who zealously drank it.

The villains made their way across the entrance hall and into the dining room.

Maleficent slipped off her overcoat and folded it in her hands. She looked around as she followed the group into the dining room. Just the day before she was in the same exact spot, catching up with Regina after 28 years over a cup of coffee. At that time, she had suspected that the girl would be the key to enacting their curse - or her heart would be, at least. Now, their plan had changed.

Maleficent still remembered the place well.

"Please, have a seat," Regina said, motioning to the chairs of her dining room table. As they went to sit, she snapped her fingers together and instantly a full plate of steaming-hot lasagna appeared before each place setting, along with napkins, silverware and glasses full of wine. She grinned darkly at them as she flattened her hands down her dress, "I give you my renown lasagna."

Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella sat down and prepared to eat, however Rumplestiltskin remained standing, at the head of the table behind his seat, directly opposite from Regina at the other end. He stared at her, his wide mouth pursued.

"As much as I'd like to dive into the this wonderfully smelling food, I am not here to eat. You said you could prove to us you were still a villain, so prove it."

Regina smiled at him.

"And I'll show you, though later. First, we need to eat, because I promise you there won't be any time for that in these upcoming days. We'll be too busy taking our happy endings back."

Maleficent eyed the girl, and grinned at her answer. She was pleased with where this was going.

"I don't need anymore of an invitation to dig in, darling," Cruella said, slipping off her fur coat and wrapping it around her chair. She scooped up a large piece of cheesy pasta and shoved it into her mouth. She was followed by Ursula and Maleficent.

But the Dark One still stood, staring at Regina, his hands firmly gripping the back of the chair. She, too, continued to stare at him, their eyes locking for a moment. She motioned at the food, signaling that she didn't plan on showing them anything until after they had eaten. Finally, he relented and slowly sat down and started to eat the sizzling food, his eyes never leaving Regina's gaze at the foot of the table.

Grinning, Regina also sat down and started to eat her food.

* * *

 

It was about an hour after they had first arrived that Maleficent, Cruella, Ursula and Regina finished eating the lasagna and downing their glasses of win and gin. They dabbed their mouths with the provided cloth napkins, and set their silverware down on their plates, finished. Cruella, though, continued to sip a glass of gin.

Rumplestiltskin, however, had stopped eating just barely ten minutes in, laying his fork down calmly on the napkin next to him, his food just barely touched. For the entirety of the time, he stared, laid back and legs-crossed, at Regina, watching her every move. He remained silent.

The Dark One was suspicious of her true intentions. The day before, he had been ready to believe that Regina could be lured back to the dark side using her desire to bring Robin Hood back. But when she out of nowhere showed up at the mansion, while they were talking about her, he became doubtful. He wanted to believe she had changed, but he had known her for many years and was unsure.

Hopefully she would be able to prove him wrong, both for her sake and for his. He wanted Regina to get her happy ending, too, as long as it didn't interfere with his.

After everyone had finished eating, Regina swept her hand in the air, clearing the dirty dishes off the table. Rumplestiltskin leaned forward and broke the silence.

"Now that everyone has properly filled their stomaches, how about you show us what you _think_ will prove to us you're still a villain."

Regina nodded, conceding. She rose from her seat and walked over to buffet that stood to the side of the dining table, the eyes of the villains never leaving her. She looked down at the wooden chest and gently pulled open one of the cabinet's drawers. She picked up a large, old, thick piece of paper with an image drawn on it from within. With the paper in her hand, she walked back to the table and sat back down. She slid the piece down the table to Rumplestiltskin, her eyes meeting his.

"Take a look at that," she said.

The Dark One picked up the paper with both hands and stared at it. It was a picture of a gilded, wooden door, with a yellow posted note on it. Scribbled on the note was the question: _the author?_

Cruella, Maleficent and Ursula leaned closer in their seat towards the man to get a better look, each wondering what it might be.

"I found it in August's things. Maybe this can help us find out where the author is," Regina added. Rumplestiltskin looked up at her.

"How do you know we're after the author?"

"Because," she explained, "I am after him, as well. He's the only one capable of giving villains their happy endings. I've been searching for him for awhile now. The Blue Fairy said that the sorcerer trapped the author behind a door. Maybe this is the door? If we can free him, then we can force him to write us all happy endings… unless you have another way?"

Cruella De Vil huffed a cloud of smoke towards the Evil Queen and sniffed "Darling, we aren't going to reveal our plan to you this easy!"

"But you have put a lot of thought into this, Regina," the Dark One said.

He was pleasantly surprised at what Regina had planned. It wouldn't work, of course, he knew that for sure. The author couldn't just write happy endings for people, but he could write something that could help them. But it had been a great idea, and showed that Regina really did want her happy ending, like she had said. Perhaps she was a villain still after all?

But, Rumplestiltskin still decided to keep the majority of his plan hidden from Regina. In fact, he had been hiding most of it from Maleficent, Cruella and Ursula, though they didn't know.

However, this was all just talk. The Dark One would only be convinced when he saw some action.

And Regina, for her part, wasn't entirely lying. She _had_ been thinking about how to get her happy ending. Ever since Robin Hood had left Storybrooke with Roland and Marian, she had been planning on how to bring him back. The happiest she had ever felt in her life was with Robin, Roland and Henry, and she wanted that back. If the Author could write her a happy ending with them in it, then she was going to figure out how to find him.

She just wasn't willing to go back to the dark side to do it, though these villains didn't need to know that. Besides, _perhaps they knew information she didn't about the author that could help her find them._

"I have," Regina reassured.

The villains sat there, for a moment, in silence staring at the page and wondering what exactly it meant. A few minutes later, the Dark One again broke the silence and started speaking.

"As lovely as this dinner has been, it is time for us to depart," he rose from the table, followed by his companions, and made his way towards the door. Stopping before it, he turned around and continued, "Regina… since you want to show us you're still on our side, how about you join Maleficent, Cruella and Ursula for a drive around town."

Regina wondered what exactly that meant, but didn't have time to question. If she wanted to break these villains' domain, then she had to play along. Even if it meant jumping into the unknown.

She grinned. "Let me get my coat."

"What about you darling," Cruella questioned the Dark One as she zipped up her fur coat and slipped her gloves on over her hands. "Won't you be coming with us?"

"I have other business to attend to. We'll meet back up later tonight at the warehouse."

Satisfied with his answer, Regina and the Queens of Darkness strutted out the door, down the driveway and to Cruella's car, where they hurriedly hopped in and raced off. The Dark One remained inside.

Rumplestiltskin slowly walked back to the dining room table, to his seat, where the page of the door was still laying where he'd left it. He waved his hand over the parchment and the paper disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Smiling as if he had won, he walked back to the door, calmly. A second later, he disappeared into a cloud of colored smoke, teleporting elsewhere.

And with him, also went the page, which rested warmly in his pocket. He was going to find that author... but his plan would be revealed soon enough. And then, he would finally get everything he wanted. He would finally win.


	8. She's Undercover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma finds out about what's going on with Regina.

Chapter 8

She's Undercover 

Emma Swan hadn't seen Regina all day, and now she was worried.

She wouldn't be so concerned if it wasn't for the fact that four, crazy, dangerous villains - including a dragon and the Dark One - were loose in Storybrooke and no one knew where they were. What was even more concerning, is that Regina has a past with all four of them, and had even locked one up in a cave for 28 years. But above all, perhaps the most concerning thing of all was that these villains were loose in town and no one knew what they wanted or what they were planning. All of Storybrooke should be worried. But, right now, Emma Swan was only concerned about Regina.

The last time she had seen the brunette was the day before. Well, she hadn't technically seen her, but she had spoken to her on the phone. It had been later in the day, and Regina had called to make sure Henry was alright. She told Emma that Maleficent was also back in town, as well as the Dark One, something which was also confirmed by her parents. Regina had said that they were probably up to something, and that she was going to try and figure it out.

Emma had told her to stay safe. That was the last time she, or Henry, had seen or spoken to her. And now, both Emma and Henry were worried about Regina.

All of these things raced through the savior's mind as she slowly drove her yellow bug down the well-lit neighborhood that the Mills residence was located in, on her way to the large, white house to make sure everything with Regina was fine. With those villains loose and up to something, they had to come up with a plan.

As she closed in on the residence, Emma decided to call Regina and tell her she was coming over. Balancing the wheel with one hand, she dug into her pocket with the other and retrieved her phone. Powering it on, she dialed the woman's number.

"Come on, Regina," Emma said to herself, pressing the phone to her ear, "pick up."

It did nothing but ring.

" _You have reached the voice box of Regina Mills. I am not available at the moment, so please leave a message and I will reach you as soon as possible. Thank you._ " The phone beeped as Emma powered her phone off.

Regina hardly ever didn't answer her phone. Something was definitely wrong.

This suspicion was seemingly confirmed as Emma's yellow bug pulled up next to the Mills residence to find the black and white car of Cruella De Vil parked in front of it. As the bug slowly slid by, Emma peered out the window and looked closely into the windows of Regina's house. Inside, she could see the brunette, smiling and standing up. She was looking at someone, though Emma couldn't see who.

And then she saw them. The other villains, Cruella, Maleficent and Ursula, seated around Regina's dining room table eating lasagna (or at least that's what it looked like they were eating.) Her suspicions confirmed, Emma parked the bug and got out. She was going to figure out what was going on in there, and hopefully she could summon up enough magic to take down the villains.

But then, she stopped.

Regina could be under duress in there. They, the villains, could be holding her hostage, and she was playing along to save herself. If that was the case, as Emma very much suspected it was, then she would need backup. She needed her parents, and Hook, and possibly the dwarves. If she could get enough of them together, then they could overcome the magic of the villains.

Emma got back into her bug and raced off towards the loft of her parents.

* * *

 

Mary Margaret and David could hear their daughter's footsteps coming up the stairs outside their apartment. Emma had inherited the Charming family trait of walking incredibly loud, as if they were literally stomping overtime they walked, so they knew she was coming and they didn't even blink an eye when she burst through the door of their apartment.

She stood at the door, eyes-widened, staring at her parents her were looking back at her from the kitchen. "Emma, is something wrong?" Mary Margaret asked.

The blonde dashed over towards them. "Yeah, something is. Mom, dad, Regina's in trouble. We need to call Hook, and possibly the dwarves, and go save her." She gazed at them desperately.

Mary Margaret set down the cup of coffee she had been sipping and looked at her daughter worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I saw Regina with Cruella, Ursula and Maleficent earlier. She's in danger we don't have time to waste!" Emma threw her hands down on the counter top. Why weren't they rushing together to help save Regina like they do to help save anyone else?

Mary Margaret looked at her husband, who was standing next to her, equally concerned, and then looked back at Emma. She sighed.

Mary Margaret had known this would happen eventually. She and David had tried to keep Regina's going undercover a secret from their daughter. They knew she would try and intervene, but they also wanted to keep her away from anything having to do with those villains. They couldn't risk having her find out about their secret. And worse, since Emma's heart once had the greatest potential for darkness, they wanted to keep her away so that way she'd be safe. So she wouldn't become dark.

But now, they had no choice. They had to tell Emma, or she would send the troops in blaring and ruin the whole operation.

"Regina's not in danger, Emma. She's undercover."

The savior's eyes widened even more, this time in surprise, and her face grew cold. "What?" she demanded.

"Emma," David said, grabbing his daughter's hand and looking at her in his usual, handsome, droopy eyes, "your mother and I learned that these witches were teaming together with Rumplestiltskin. We told Regina, and she said she was going to go undercover with them. The only way we'll be able to find out what they're up to is by sending someone within their domain. Regina can do that."

Emma untangled from his grasp and drew away, covering her face with her hands. She couldn't believe they had planned this without her. It was too dangerous for Regina, Emma could've told them that the minute they thought of it. And besides, neither her parents nor Regina had any experience whatsoever of going undercover.

"That's why she didn't come around today. She has to separate herself from us so it can look like she's joining the villains," Mary Margaret added, looking at her daughter. She was worried, but not for Regina. She was worried about Emma. She desperately hoped her daughter wouldn't try and intervene.

The savior shook her head. "Why didn't you guys tell me about this when you were planning it? I was a trained bail bondswoman, going undercover was a necessity for the job. I've had experience with it, and I would've been better equipped to lay out this plan than you guys."

Mary Margaret and her husband looked at each other. She was right, they should've gone to her first, but the plan was all spur of the moment. Regina had to act, quickly, to make her story believable to the villains.

"When's the meet up?" Emma asked, looking back and forth at the two of them. Confusion fell over their faces. "You guys did set up a meet up, right?"

"Uh…" David sputtered.

"We didn't really have time for that Emma, it was happening so fast," Mary Margaret intervened.

Emma Swan threw her hands up in the air and sighed loudly. "This is why you should've let me plan this! How are we supposed to get any information from Regina? How are we supposed to know she's alright and not in danger? There has to be some sort of bat signal or something that she can warn us with."

"Bat signal?" David asked, confused.

"Never mind," Emma responded, shaking her head. They had to do something, fast. "I'll send a message to Regina for her to find later, and tell her when and where to meet us, and also how to send us a signal that she's in danger." She hurried back to the door of the loft and opened it, adding, "make sure Henry stays away from Regina's house. We can't chance him running into one of the villains."

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement. "Henry's with Ruby and Granny at the dinner right now. I'll call him and tell him not to go over to Regina's and to come back here. Immediately."

Emma rushed out the door and down the stairs, leaving the loft door still wide open in her rush. David walked over to close it, and looked back at his wife. She looked down at her now cold cup of coffee, her mind lost in thought.

"Mary Margaret?" he asked. She looked back up at him. Her face was serious.

"David, we can't let Emma find out what we did. We can't."

"And we won't," he reassured, walking over to her.

Despite what her husband had said, Mary Margaret still feared what would happen if her daughter did find out. She would be devastated and their family would be ruined. Snow couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen.


	9. Up To No Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maleficent and Regina retrieve the sleeping curse; Rumplestiltskin, Ursula and Cruella hunt for the door.

Chapter Eight 

Up To No Good

The black cadillac of Regina Mills slid gently along the watery grass, jerking slightly as it pulled to a stop alongside the edge of the gravel road. Her eyes still on the road, Regina's hand slipped down to beside her seat as she pulled down the control pad, putting her car into park. She remained oblivious of the curious stare of her passenger.

"I still don't understand these strange contraptions in this land… what did you say it was called again?" asked a bewildered Maleficent sitting next to Regina in the front seat.

"They're called _cars_ ," Regina reminded as she twisted her keys out of the ignition and put it into her coat pocket. "We're here."

She swung her car door open and exited the vehicle, not bothering to wait for the blonde, who was having trouble figuring out how to unlock the door and open it. After fidgeting with it for a moment, she finally conceded and disappeared in a flash, reappearing beside Regina outside.

"A cemetery," Maleficent said, looking around the place where Regina had driven her. It was the Storybrooke Graveyard. "This is where you've kept my sleeping curse? With the dead?"

Regina rolled her eyes at the lady.

It was the morning after she had made her dinner party-plea to Rumplestiltskin and the Queens of Darkness at her house. Regina had revealed to them her lead on the author, which had seemed to gain her some ground with the four. After that, she had gone with Cruella, Maleficent and Ursula for what Rumple had said was a "drive" though Regina knew that's not quite what it meant.

Their "drive" turned out to be a four-hour long rampage of drinking, laughter, getting high on potions and burning public property, all of which culminated at a campfire in an open field in the middle of the forrest. Were Regina still the Evil Queen, she might have found the crazy, night-time explosion to be fun. But she wasn't.

They had laid in the field, passed out, for a couple of hours before Regina woke up on the floor of an old, abandoned warehouse near the Storybrooke harbor, the four of them watching her, arms crossed, from around the room. Regina had figured they were further contemplating her loyalty, and as such she was slightly surprised when Gold actually answered her question of what they were planning for the day.

"Today, you and Maleficent will be going to retrieve the sleeping curse you have."

"And the three of you?"

"The three of us will be investigating this mysterious door/page you showed us last night by visiting the Sorcerer's mansion."

"I think I should be there, with you, since I'm the one who brought it to you," Regina had made sure to be careful when she questioned him. She still was on thin ice with them as it was, but she wasn't about to let them go investigating The Author without her. Not when he was her only hope of getting her happy ending.

"What do you have to worry about, Regina?" Rumple had countered back, a glimmer of suspicion in his eyes, "Whatever we find we will relate back to you, as well. We're a team. . . Don't you trust us, Regina?"

She had narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course not."

It still worried her, the thought of Rumplestiltskin discovering something dancing in her mind, as she trekked across the cemetery yard from her car and to her mausoleum, a cautious Maleficent hot on her heels behind her.

The blonde watched with slight amusement as her friend stomped up to the building, a smile playing on her lips. It was good to have Regina back.

Regina marched up the steps of the stone building and stopped just before the great, oak doubled-doors that served as the entrance. Reaching into the pocket of her coat, she pulled out a large ring of several keys and started to fiddle with them, inserting each one-at-a-time into the keyhole.

"It's been awhile since I've last been here," Regina offered as an explanation to Maleficent, who had stopped beside her and was now watching her. The blonde clutched the coat that was placed over her shoulder closer together as a breeze rolled through.

"That much is evident," she agreed, eyeing the vines that had covered the building and the grime that stained the stone here and there. "What is this place, anyway?" she asked.

"A mausoleum. My mausoleum."

"I know that, Regina. But whose is it? Clearly someone of importance to you, otherwise you wouldn't have hidden my sleeping curse here."

Regina sighed, inserting another key into the hole. "This building is the final resting place of several people who were important to me, Mal. My father, my mother - "

"Daniel?" the blonde added.

"Yes, Daniel was here, as well. . ." she faded away, hoping her friend would be satisfied with the answer and drop the subject. She didn't like to talk about those whom she'd lost.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Maleficent asked curiously. Regina shook her head. "It's a long story," she said, inserting yet another key. Twisting it, a click sounded and the mighty doors were set loose. "You've really been gone a long, long time, Mal. A lot had happened since you've been away."

With that, Regina turned away and pressed onward inside the building. "It's through here," she added, marching into the dusty room.

Mal followed suit.

* * *

 

Rumplestiltskin and Cruella stood, side-by-side, together, at the center of the Sorcerer's mansion, in the large, two-story ballroom, under the great, crystal chandelier. They had arrived a few minutes before, with Ursula, too, in Cruella's car, and had begun their search immediately. Going through the few front rooms in the house, they had found nothing. Not even the slightest piece of evidence having anything to do with the door or the page.

They had eventually made their way to the ballroom, where they were now, their eyes moving about the room. In Rumplestiltskin's hands rested the page Regina had showed them.

They were there for a mere two minutes before Cruella started, very impatiently, about how they couldn't find anything.

"I don't see any blasted door that resembles that page in this godforsaken mansion, darling!" Cruella snapped thickly and quickly, throwing her thin hands up into the air and flapping her heavy fur coat behind her.

"You are so impatient, aren't you?" Rumple said to her, seething with disgust, "We've barely started looking and you're already complaining." He gave her a mean glare, before turning away from her. Truthfully, he would've much more preferred Cruella wasn't there. He greatly wished he could've come _alone_.

Cruella De Vil was much more of a nuisance to the Dark One rather than a help. At least Maleficent, Regina and Ursula had their own benefits, but Cruella. . . she was just a pest to Rumplestiltskin. However, he comforted himself, knowing that soon, if the villains won, hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore.

"Darling, I'm offended," Cruella uttered with an air of sarcasm, her mood seemingly different than what is was a few moments before. She pulled her coat closer, took a puff of her cigarette and looked back at him, awaiting his response. She very much hoping this would turn into an argument.

Cruella loved annoying the little man.

But, he ignored her, not wanting to indulge her anymore, and, page-in-hand, he started to walk around the vast, empty room, his eyes going back and forth from the page to the walls of the room. He was comparing the panelling in the picture to the one on the wall - it didn't match.

Rumplestiltskin was certain that the answer to this puzzle - the door on the page - _had to be_ somewhere in this house, it was just a matter of finding it.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside. Heavy footsteps, to be sure, though footsteps nonetheless. Someone was approaching them, quickly.

The Dark One took a step back and faced the entrance. Cruella pulled out her pistol and aimed it at the front door.

They could see the shadow of the person coming to the door from one of the windows. Charging in, the could finally see who it was: Ursula.

Cruella lowered her weapon. "Ursula?" she asked, "I just about sprayed you with bullets, darling."

"What are you doing?" Rumplestiltskin asked her, "You're supposed to be standing outside on guard."

Ursula stopped before the man and placed her hands on her hips. She displayed her usual look of displeasure. "I'm getting tired of waiting around outside - all I have to look at is an open field and some windy trees." She paused looking around the room. "Have you made any progress on the door in the page?"

"No," Cruella spat, fingering the gun carelessly in her hand, "We've found nothing."

"Yet," Rumplestiltskin added, walking towards the end of the room. Behind a corner, he discovered a door - unfortunately not the one on the page- behind which was was hidden a narrow, circular staircase which led upstairs. "Where could this lead?" he asked, mainly to himself, however Cruella and Ursula overheard him.

"What is it?" Cruella questioned, stepping over to him with a look of curiosity. She couldn't make out what it was from where she stood.

"It's a staircase," Ursula answered, making it to the man before Cruella did.

"A staircase?"

"Yes," Rumplestiltskin replied, though it was evident his mind was elsewhere. He was clearly thinking about something, though what?

"How did I not notice this before-" he mumbled to himself, quiet enough that the other two wouldn't be able to hear him. He wanted to know how he had missed this - the mysterious staircase - when he had stayed at the mansion with Belle for his honeymoon.

He knew he would've noticed it. . .

"Well," Ursula said, "Are we going to go up it or what?"

Without responding, the Dark One took a step onto the stairs and started to ascend it.

Ursula and Cruella looked at each other, and, with a devilish suddenly grin painting both their faces, they followed him quickly.

* * *

 The tap of Regina's heels echoed in the air as she hurriedly descended the steps into underground rooms of her mausoleum, her coat and scarf flapping behind her. She could here the echo of Maleficent's step right behind her, too.

Regina was eager to get down here as quickly as she could, find the sleeping curse, and then meet up with Rumplestiltskin at the Sorcerer's mansion. She didn't trust him, not in the least, and she wanted to get there as soon as she could lest he find something and not tell her about it.

The problem was, however, she wasn't exactly sure where the sleeping curse was. Regina knew she had hidden it down here with all her other magical potions and curses, the trouble would just be finding it out of everything else that was hidden here.

Walking down from the steps, she rushed into the medium-sized room opening off the stairs, her vault, and up to one of the shelves in the room. She started digging around in the clutter.

Maleficent, meanwhile, had stopped at the entryway of the room. She looked around the room - at all the magical potions sitting around, the spell books stacked up variously, the chests and boxes dotting the floors, and the large, steel, tentacle mirror that hung directly opposite her at the end of the room. Her reflection looked back at her in it - Maleficent instantly recognized it as the one from Regina's palace back in the Enchanted Forrest.

Her eyes then fell back on Regina, who was now shuffling through a small chest of bottles. Maleficent smiled at her friend, and took a step closer to her. "So," she said, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to inquire about what she had learned from Rumplestiltskin the day before, "Robin Hood?" she asked.

Regina stopped what she was doing and looked back at her. "What?"

"Robin Hood? That's who you're searching for," Maleficent added, looking Regina in the eyes. The blonde could easily see her friend's pain and sorrow merely with the mention of the man's name. "I could see it in your eyes, when I first saw you a few days ago after all those years, Regina. I knew you were looking for something, _someone_." She paused, waiting for the brunette's reply.

Regina simply looked at her. She was slightly surprised at how the other lady could find out about Robin, before she quickly realized it must've none-other than Rumplestiltskin. He was the only person in town who would've shared that with self-proclaimed 'mistress of evil'. But, besides that, deep inside herself, she was also worried what the blonde would think of her. Regina and Maleficent had known each other for a very, very long time. And, even though the blonde was a villain, Regina still valued her opinion. They had known each other for too long, and had been through too much together, not to.

Maleficent took Regina's silence as an affirmative. She took another step closer to the girl. "Why didn't you tell me, Regina?"

"I worried what you might think," Regina replied, turning back to one of the shelves to resume her search of the curse once more, "of the Evil Queen being with a thief."

"A thief is right," Maleficent added, the memory of him and his 'merry men' stealing from her playing fresh in her mind, "But I would've understood, Reg," she continued, knowing full well she understood what is was like to lose someone. "I really would've." Maleficent grew silent, her thoughts quickly turning to that of her lost child. The child she had never even known. The child she was, now, going to get vengeance for.

Without even saying, Regina could tell something was wrong. Just like Maleficent knew when she had lost something, Regina could tell when their was something wrong with her friend. Maleficent didn't even need to say anything. "Mal," Regina said, turning back to her, "What is it?"

And then Regina realized something: Rumple, Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent were there to get their happy endings. She knew what the Dark One's was - power- and Ursula and Cruella's she didn't particular care about. But Maleficent, she didn't know what her happy ending was. Could this have something to do with it?

Maleficent sniffed as a tear dripped down her cheek and made it's way to the edge of her face. Regina grew pale and her eyes widened. She had never, ever seen Maleficent cry before. The idea had seemed completely remote her that Maleficent was even capable of crying. . .

_This was clearly something very serious._

"I've lost something, too," she whimpered, " _My child_. I lost my child."


	10. Sleeping Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The villains launch the sleeping curse on Storybrooke, and a small flashback between Regina and Maleficent.

Chapter Ten 

Sleeping Curse

“Mal. . . I’m so sorry. I didn't know,” Regina lamented, attempting to comfort her friend.

“How could you?” Maleficent whimpered sadly, wiping away a tear from her eye, “I didn’t find out until after you’d stolen the curse from me, and by that time you were already too occupied with cursing Snow White that I couldn’t tell you.”

“I’m still sorry,” the other lady replied, looking at her friend with pity. She could only imagine the pain Maleficent was experiencing right now. If she’d lost Henry, her world would come crashing down in shatters, and she knew Maleficent felt far more passionately than she did.

On the outside, Maleficent may have appeared to be a cold, emotionless monster to those who didn’t know her, and sometimes to those who did, but, Regina knew that, on the inside, Maleficent felt in a way unlike most people. Her emotions were intensified and strong for those she cared about. She cared hard for her loved ones.

“It’s alright, Reg,” Maleficent said, clearing her throat and brushing her hand over her cheeks, “It’s going to be alright. Because I’m going to make them pay for what they did to my child. . . what they took from me.” Her voice quickly filled with an anger, and her tone deepened with fury.

Regina arched a slim eyebrow and looked at her. Her child was taken from her? That’s why she’s here, she thought, she wants to get her child back from whoever took her. But who was it?

“Who took it?” Regina said, suddenly finding herself defensive of her friend. She didn’t need to act that part, because, even after everything had happened between them, Maleficent was still, and always would be, her friend. She have to pretend to care, or feign concern, because she did care, and she was concerned, for her friend. Maleficent, the great dragon, had helped her through very, very tough times - had been there for her when no one else was - and, for that, Regina owed her for eternity.

In fact, Regina owed Maleficent than just that. She also owed her her life.

* * *

**PAST**

_Regina looked at the shining bade that she held in the open palms of her hands, holding it just below her chest. It wasn’t a large dagger, to be sure. In fact, it wasn’t really a dagger at all. Actually, in reality, it was nothing more than a small, kitchen knife. It was all she had been able to sneak out with her when she left the palace. Regina had been able to slip it into the sleeve of her gown and, if it had been anything bigger, Leopold, Snow and everyone else would’ve noticed._

_But, nevertheless, the size was irrelevant now. It was sharp at the end, sharp enough to penetrate, despite it’s size. It would still get the job done. Regina was sure of it._

_It didn’t matter, anyways. It would all be over soon._

_Regina wrapped her fingers around the small knife and pressed it up against the middle of her neck. One, quick slit is all it would take. She wondered if it would be painful. . . surely it would be, since she’d be bleeding out, and her oxygen would be escaping her, so she'd be suffocating too, most likely._

_But, just like before, that didn’t matter. No pain was as great as the one she had been living everyday for the past years. Her life as queen was far, far from what many would imagine - she was a prisoner of the palace, at the use of the king whenever he wanted. She was forced to live in an entrapped, seemingly eternal, hellish misery. She couldn’t take it anymore._  
_That’s why she was just going to kill herself. She was just going to free herself from that life._

_“Regina?”_

_The girl turned to see the figure of her new-found friend, Maleficent, standing with a look of surprise across her face behind her. “Maleficent?” she asked, loosing her grasp on the knife, “What are you doing here?”_

_“Don’t,” Maleficent said, noticing the knife in Regina’s hand, ignoring the girl’s previous question, “Don’t do it Regina. Put the blade down.”_

_Regina shook her head and pressed the knife once more into her throat, though not penetrating it, “No,” she sniffed, tears suddenly finding themselves in her eyes, “I can’t live anymore, Maleficent. We haven’t know each other for very long - you don’t understand. My life. . . I can’t bear it.”_

_“But you have to,” Maleficent said, taking a step closer to the girl, carefully, “It’s what we do, Regina. All life has hardships - trust me, I would know - but killing yourself isn’t the way to go,” she paused for a moment, appearing to get Regina’s attention, “Killing yourself. . . that won’t do anything. It only let’s them win.”_

_Regina tilted her heard slightly, before slowly nodding in agreement. “Snow White. . .”_

_Maleficent could see she was making progress._

_“That’s right. By killing yourself, you’re giving in, Regina,” Maleficent continued, “Instead, you have to make them pay. You saw what I did to Briar Rose’s brat - the revenge you helped me get - well you can have that to. You can make Snow White, her father, and everyone else suffer the same torture you’ve felt.”_

_Regina lowered the dagger._

_“Make them pay for what they’ve done.” With Maleficent’s last words, the dagger slipped out of Regina’s hands and fell onto the floor. She nodded again._

_“You’re right, Maleficent,” she realized, “You're absolutely right."_

* * *

Regina remerged from her mind to the sounds of Maleficent’s tears. The blonde had turned away from Regina, shielding her from her crying. Maleficent couldn’t control nor help herself - she was certainly the tough, scary dragon she had always been, but her child. . . the baby she’d lost. . . was her weakness. Every day she thought about it, and what it could've been.

“Mal,” Regina said sternly, stepping forward and laying her hand comfortingly on her friend’s shoulder, “who killed your baby. I promise, whoever it was, I will _personally_ make them pay.” She was partly acting, as she partly wasn’t.

Maleficent sniffed and snarled, “Those idiots _Prince Charming and Snow White_ \- the ones you’ve been trying to kill, yourself.”

Regina fell silently instantly, realizing it all made sense now. That’s why Snow had been so concerned that Maleficent, the villains, were coming to kill them. Because they had done something to Maleficent’s baby. They had incited the dragon’s rage, and they knew it.

She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of anger rising up inside of her, though, after everything, she couldn’t think of a reason why Snow or Charming would kill Maleficent’s baby. They were heroes, after all, and heroes didn’t kill.

But, she had to keep her cover. . .

“Don’t cry, Maleficent,” she said, solemnly, “We’ll make them suffer for what they’ve done.”

* * *

The stairwell Rumplestiltskin, Ursula and Cruella discovered led to one of the upper floors of the mansion, a long, narrow hallway, at the end of which was revealed to be a large, grand library with shelves filled with blank books. After a dedicated search of the room had been conducted, it was discovered there was nothing.

“Still bloody nothing - well let’s get on and search the rest of this godforsaken place, darlings,” Cruella had rattled, as usual impatiently, wanting to move on to another room of the house.

“No,” Rumplestiltskin had insisted, “We’ll find nothing; this house is empty and we’re not going to find the door anywhere in here. It’s somewhere else in this town, the question is where.” He had pondered to himself for a moment, before deciding that he had the answer: they could use Emma Swan's magic to locate the door. “Her innate magical skills, the magic in her heart, the magic she was born with, the magic of true love. . .should be powerful enough to led us to where the door is.”

Ursula and Cruella had been unsure, though he had reassured them with further words: “Haven’t I gotten us this far?”

They had agreed, though, despite that, it was still at the forefront of all three of their minds as Cruella's car raced along the side streets of Storybrooke, finally swerving down and out onto the harbor, where it rushed even further down to their location: the , their new hideout. Cruella parked her car alongside the sleek, black car of Regina Mills. Regina and Mal had already arrived.

“Blasted, they beat us!” Cruella muttered to herself, angry that the two had gotten there before they did.  
 “Let’s hope they brought that sleeping curse with them,” Rumplestiltskin replied as he unfastened the lock the lock on of one of the seedy doors to the large building and let both himself, Cruella and Ursula inside. They made their way down some dimly-light hallways, and past several stacks of crates, before finally entering into the main room of the warehouse: the large and open processing room. At the center of the room, under a flickering light, stood Regina and Maleficent waiting from them.

“It reeks of fish in here,” Regina complained, holding up her gloved finger to her nose, “Couldn’t you have picked a place that didn’t smell so disgusting?”

“I rather like the aroma,” Ursula snapped back, crossing her arms. That woman always complains about everything, she thought to herself. I despise her.

“Do you have it?” Rumplestiltskin asked a sly Maleficent. She nodded.

“Right here,” she said, holding out her palm, the tiny scroll resting upon her palm. He retrieved it from her grasped and gazed at it.

“Excellent.”

The other four looked at each other with devilish grins. “So, what now, darlings?” Cruella asked between puffs of green smoke, “Now that we’ve got the sleeping curse. . .”

“I presume we’ll be casting it,” Maleficent spoke, as all eyes looked towards Rumplestiltskin, awaiting an answer. 

The man smiled at them as he fingered with the parchment in his hands. "Indeed we will be."


	11. Henry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The villains take a step further in their plan for their happy endings.

Chapter Eleven 

Henry

“Well, well, well, darling. . . It appears as if your bloody sleeping curse worked after all!” Cruella grinned an evil smiled as she nudged the woman beside her with a playful tease, before her eyes once more returned to the hundreds of bodies scattered before them on the streets of Storybrooke, all put under a deep sleep by Maleficent’s curse, one they wouldn’t wake up from for several more hours.

Only a few moments before, Cruella, Maleficent and the rest of the villains had been atop the highest hill in the city, watching as the sleeping curse rolled through Storybrooke in light, billowing clouds of purple smoke. They had enjoyed watching the clouds suck all the small buildings of the town underneath it, and had even more so enjoyed seeing all the fallen bodies as they walked back to the center of town, directly before the clocktower.

“I knew it would. It never fails me,” Maleficent replied with a smile as she pet the glass sphere of her staff.

“I suppose now we go get the Savior and take her heart for the curse then?” asked Ursula, turning towards Rumplestiltskin with crossed arms, “But before we do, I want to find that pesky Captain Hook and snap that pretty little neck of his while I can. My tentacles are aching. . .”

Regina’s senses heightened then, as she started to wonder if she might have to take out all four of these villains in the next minute or so, should they try and hurt someone. Up to this point, Maleficent, Rumplestiltskin, Cruella and Ursula hadn’t killed anyone while she’d been undercover with them, but now that everyone in town was incapacitated, she had an eery feeling that that might be about to change.

“No,” Rumplestiltskin spoke curtly.

“What?” Maleficent hissed, adjusting her hat to obtain a better view, “Wasn’t that the whole point of using my curse? So that we can get the Savior’s heart while she and everyone else is knocked out?”

“Taking her heart from her would be useless, dearie. It can’t be forced. . . the curse will only work if she gives up her heart _willingly_. I thought you and everyone else would’ve known better.”

“And how is she to do that if she’s asleep?” Cruella arched an eyebrow as she pulled her coat closer to her body. “Do you expect her to yank out her own heart in a dream, darling?”

Before he could answer, however, Regina’s phone suddenly started to vibrate in the pocket of her jacket. With all eyes on her, she dug it out of her coat and answered it. It was Henry.

“Mom! Mom is that you? What’s going on. Everyone’s - ”

“Asleep, I . . I know. The vill-” she looked up at the harsh gazes of the people watching her, realizing she had to be careful with her chose of words “we cast a sleeping curse on everyone in town.”

“But mom- ”

“No, listen to me, Henry. I don’t have time to argue with you, just do as I say. Everything’s going to be alright. Go to our house and just stay there. Don’t leave, you’ll be safe there.”

Henry fell silent for a second. “Alright.” The phone clicked and the called ended.

“Henry?” The Dark One asked as Regina shoved her phone back into her pocket.

“Yes.”

“Hold up, darling - how can her son be awake right now? We just cast a damn sleeping curse on this town!”

“People who have already been under a sleeping curse are immune to any future ones,” Maleficent answered, knowing full well about that part of her curse. It was the only thing preventing her from casting another sleeping curse on Briar Rose.

“I told him to stay away, since there is no telling what could happen,” Regina said, almost as a warning to the whole group to stay away from her son.

“Actually we’ll be needing him,” Rumple took a step closer to Regina, “And now that he’s all alone, it’s the perfect time to snatch him. _That’s_ why the curse needed to be enacted: so he’d be by himself without any of those nasty heroes to get in our way.”

Regina’s heart sank. “What? No- no. I am not risking my son for this. I will not let him become a pawn in this vendetta of ours. I may want to get my happy ending, but I won’t sacrifice Henry for it.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. He won’t be harmed, Regina. We need him to force Emma Swan to give up her heart. Like I said, it has to be done willingly and the only way she’ll do that, is if she thinks her son’s life is at risk.”

There was no way she was going to let her son get harmed, but Regina quickly realized that she had no choice right now other than to go along with this plan. If she didn’t, then the villains would either kill her or put her to sleep, too, and then they’d still be able to capture Henry. Rumple had made it so that way Henry was totally isolated, and Regina was the only person looking after him right now.

At least this way, she’d be able to keep an eye on him to make sure he was safe.

“It’s not Henry that we want to harm, Regina. It’s the heroes.”

“Very well.”

* * *

Regina Mills was one-hundred percent uncomfortable with this plan. Maybe even more; she hated having to get her son involved in the villain’s plot to destroy the heroes. What she was doing was, essentially, risking his life, something that crushed every bone in her body. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it. Her only reassurance was that, if she didn’t go along with this, then she was leaving Henry even more vulnerable, and more susceptible, than he already was now. Were she to refuse the villains, they’d simply whack her off, and take Henry anyways.

And then there would be _nobody_ left to protect him then.

Her skin shivered with terror as she made her way up the long, concrete driveway, her hands clutched nervously into fists, as she went to retrieve her son from inside the great white house that was her home. Halfway there, she stopped and turned around, looking at the quiet street behind her.

Maleficent, Cruella, Rumplestiltskin and Ursula's eyes gazed back at her from inside Cruella’s black and white car, which was parked against the curb. The Dark One nodded her to proceed onwards.

Regina did.

“Mom!” Henry cried, collapsing into Regina as she stepped through the front doors of the house. She hugged him tightly, kissing his forehead. “Mom! Mom! What’s going on? Tell me!”

“Henry-“

She was interrupted as two other people came clattering into the entrance hall, where they were standing, from another room. It was David and Mary Margaret, who Regina had forgotten were also immune to the sleeping curse.

“What the hell is going on, Regina?” David asked.

“Why is everyone asleep? Did Maleficent cast a sleeping curse?” Before waiting for an answer, Mary Margaret turned to her husband with desperation as she grabbed him by the hands, “She’s coming for us, David! She’s finally coming to kill us! You know it won't be pleasant!”

“Yes, they did cast the curse. . . but they’re not here to kill you. Not yet, at least.”

“What do you mean? They’re here!” Snow practically fainted as she looked towards the window and saw the gleam of Cruella's car through the thin sliver between the curtains.

“They sent me to get you,” she said, looking to Henry, “They want you.”

“What? Why do they want me?”

“Why do they want him?” David asked, stepping forward and placing a protective hand on the boy's shoulder, firmly, like he wasn't about to let him go anywhere.

“It’s part of their plan. . . to get Emma’s heart. They’re going to try and force her to give up her heart using Henry. But you know I'm not going to let that happen-”

“W-we have to leave," Mary Margaret panted frantically, "we have to get him out of Storybrooke - we can’t let them take Henry, David. They’ll kill him!”

“No, they won’t," Regina reassured, "while they may be terrible, terrible villains, they wouldn’t kill an innocent child for no reason. I know them better than that - id be pointless and a waste of their time. And you can’t leave with him, either. They’d only hunt you down and find you, still. Trust me, I’ve thought of every way to protect Henry in this scenario, and this is the best one. If he comes with us, at least I’ll be able to keep him safe.”

A silence fell over everyone, before Regina turned to her son and looked at him. “But I’m not going to force you to do anything. This is your choice, Henry. If you don’t want to, then David and Mary Margaret can leave with you right this instant and I’ll do my best to hold them off as long as I can.”

He was silent. “Do you trust me, Henry?” Regina said.

“I. . . I do trust you, mom. . . I’ll do it.”

“Good, now you two” she looked up at Mary Margaret and David, “You need to hide. Now. And then get out of here - there’s no telling what they’d to you if they found out you were here. Maleficent's already seething to burn you to bits, and they'd realize that I betrayed them. We’d probably all lose our heads. . .”

As Mary Margaret and David hurried off, Regina wrapped an arm around Henry and they proceeded towards the front door. Just as they were opening it, they were greeted by the sight of Maleficent and Ursula just on the porch. They’d apparently been sent to check up on them, while the other two had remained in the car.

“Good, you’ve got the boy,” muttered Ursula, swiftly turning around and heading back to the vehicle.

Maleficent paused for a moment, taking a look at Henry, before joining Ursula on a trek back to the vehicle, making sure that Regina and Henry were following behind her.

"Trust me, Henry," Regina whispered in his ear, "I'm going to get us through this."


	12. Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter has a Cora and Regina flashback that occurs in the time between episodes 2.15 "The Queen is Dead" and 2.16 "The Miller's Daughter".

Chapter 12

Your Heart

**Past**

“What is _that_?” the elder lady asked curiously, pointing an unsure finger at the object beside her daughter.

“Shhh, Mother, be quiet. I can’t hear.” Regina leaned in closer to the small black box that sat atop her desk, attempting to hear the muffled voices speaking from it as she cupped her ears to hear it better. “Maybe I need to turn it up more?”

She did so, and suddenly a voice filled the air of the room.

“ _We’ve taken Hook’s ship. . . we’re being navigated back. . ._ ” It was Emma Swan’s voice.

Regina looked up at her mother who faced her, with arms-crossed. Cora’s eyes met her daughter’s. “How is she speaking? What kind of magic is this?” She poked a finger at the black box.

“It’s a phone tap, mother. I had it put on Snow White’s phone. We can hear all their conversations.”

“I suppose we know what happened to Hook now,” Cora’s hand met her lips as she paused in thought.

“They’re on their way back. They’ll be here soon. . .”

They paused again as Emma’s voice sounded once more in the air. “ _It’s Gold. . . he’s injured. Hook stabbed him with some poison. . . we’re bringing him back with us._ ”

“The Dark One’s injured,” Regina whispered, “does this-“

“Change things? No, my dear, it doesn’t. We still have the dagger, and whether he’s under-the-weather or not, we can still use it to force him to kill Emma and everyone else. Our plans haven’t changed.” Cora looked at her daughter, and could easily see her visible uneasiness. “Something is wrong - what is it, my love?”

“It’s just. . . Mother, are still sure this is our only option? I’m not sure if I haven’t in me to kill Emma and her parents. If Henry finds out I killed his mother and grandparents, he’ll never forgive me.”

“You won’t be killing them. The Dark One will. We’ll use the dagger to force Rumplestiltskin to kill Emma and her parents, and then, once they’re dead, you’ll be the only one Henry has left. Naturally he’ll be devastated, but you’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Not only with those annoying pests be gone, but you will also have your son back.”

“Mother- ”

“And I’ll have my daughter back.” Cora smiled at her daughter, “don’t worry, my child, he won’t find out.” Still, she could see her daughter was unconvinced. “Regina, sometimes you have to look beyond the present and into the future for the greater good of your child. That’s what it means to be a parent. Killing Emma and the Charmings may be unpleasant now, but as long as they’re around, you’ll never have Henry. And being with you,” she rubbed Regina’s shoulder reassuringly as she brushed back a lock of her daughter’s hair, “well, that is what’s best for him.”

“ _Look beyond the present_ ,” Regina repeated, “Is that what you did for me, mother? When you created an elaborate plan for me to become queen all those years ago?”

“Yes, my love, that’s exactly what I did. Becoming queen would’ve secured your position, your future. I thought that would’ve made you happy, because that’s what would’ve made me happy. I was wrong, I realize that, but I’ve always tried to do what’s best for you, Regina. You know that.”

“And that’s all I want for Henry. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for him.”

"Then that's what you'll have to do."

* * *

**Present**

The conversation between her and her mother that they’d had almost two years ago played in Regina’s mind as she now watched Rumplestiltskin lead her son into an empty chair in the center of the larger warehouse they had been in before. She was _looking beyond the present_ for the greater good of Henry, but still, as the final steps of the villain’s plan were all coming together, Regina couldn’t help but feel anxious about what might happen.

At this point, she didn’t know which side would win. She obviously was going to do anything she could to help the heroes win - when it wouldn’t risk Henry’s life - but the villains certainly weren’t an un-matching force.

Just then, Rumplestiltskin pulled out a rope as he sat Henry down and motioned to start tying him up.

“Wait,” Regina called, outstretching a hand and stopping him, “I’ll do it.”

“Very well,” he handed her the rope and stepped back. Henry and Regina looked at each other silently as she wrapped her arms around his chair and fastened the rope, tying it together with a firm knot behind the back of the chair. Next she tied his legs, and arms, and when she had finished she took a step back.

“There.”

“You don’t mind if I check, do you?” Rumple eyed her as he bent over and secured the knots, checking to make sure it was tightly bound.

“You don’t trust me?”

“Not when it comes to your son.” Once he was satisfied, he stepped back and joined her. “Henry will be fine, Regina. It isn’t him we want to harm. It’s Emma who we need, and the only way to do that is through him. Surely you understand that?”

Regina nodded. Unfortunately, she did.

At that moment, Maleficent came strutting into the room, with her magical staff in hand and Ursula and Cruella hot on her heels. “It’s done,” she declared aloud to the group, her staff thumping against the floor as she walked. “The sleeping curse has been lifted. Everyone in Storybrooke should start waking up within a few seconds.”

“It won’t be long now. The Savior will soon discover her son is missing and it’ll only be a matter of time until she finds us here. Everything has to be ready for when she does,” Rumplestiltskin said.

“I’ve got the chest for her heart,” Ursula held up the wooden box in her hands, “unchanged since the last time we tried this almost three decades ago.”

“Excellent. Once she’s taken out her heart, we’ll put it in there and make our escape. We’ll want to be as far away as possible from everyone when we launch the curse. My cabin in the woods will do just perfectly.”

“My vehicle is parked and running out back, ready for our immediate escape,” Cruella added, “but what then, darling? After we get to your cabin and launch the curse?”

“Then we get our happy endings. _Then the villains will finally will_.”

* * *

It was less than thirty minutes before the villains heard a car engine blazing through the air, the noise growing louder and louder as it drew near and the tires screeching against the concrete as it crashed to a stop outside the warehouse. Several car doors could be heard being swung open and closed. Voices sounded off in the air as they approached the building, which the villains could clearly make out to be those of none-other-than Emma Swan and the Charmings.

“That was sooner than expected,” the Dark One commented as his eyes motioned over to Henry, “your family is coming for you Henry.”

“They’ll stop you,” Henry muttered, before looking over at Regina. She remained silent.

“We’ll see about that,” Ursula sneered as she glared at the boy, snarling her lip. She never did like children.

Just then one of the doors burst open and in stomped Emma and her parents. The Savior and her father both carried locked and loaded guns - aimed at the two people closest to Henry: Rumplestiltskin and Cruella. Ursula knocked their guns out of their hands as soon as they entered the room, wrapping one of her tentacles around Charming’s neck as she did so.

Then, Maleficent took care of Snow, using her staff to immobilize the woman by freezing her.

Only Emma remained.

“Hello Miss Swan,” the Dark One cooed as Cruella shoved the tip of her gun into Henry’s neck, making it very clear what their intentions were should Emma not follow their demands.

“Let them go,” Emma stammered as Rumplestiltskin shook his head and laughed, “W-What do you want? Please, don’t hurt them.”

“It’s simple, really. We won’t hurt them, in fact we’ll even let them go, if you give us just one little thing: your heart,” Rumple shot back. He produced the wooden box from behind his back.

“My heart? What do you want with that?”

“Lucky for you, that’s none of your concern. You’ll find out soon enough, anyways,” he opened the box, and held it outwards, ready to receive it. “Well, what will it be Miss Swan?”

“Emma don’t do it!” Charming cried out suddenly, before Ursula tightened her grip around his neck, silencing his vocal cords. The expression on her face as she did so made it seem like she enjoyed it way more than she should’ve.

Emma remained silent, her heavy breathing the sole noise coming from her mouth.

“May I remind you, Savior, that if you don’t give us your heart, everyone you love will die,” chirped up Cruella with an evil grin forming from her lips.

Still she didn’t respond, thinking about her very limited options.

“Well?” Maleficent demanded firmly, her loud voice echoing throughout the large room.

“ _Fine_! Fine! I-I’ll do it.” With that, she shot her hand into her chest and ripped out her heart, holding it out in her hand for them to take.


	13. That Voice Again

Chapter 13

That Voice Again

Ursula’s bright, green eyes spun circles as she took a step backwards, her grip on Charming’s neck loosening slightly, her eyesight blurred from the recent explosion that had occurred, and the shattering noise from it still lingering in her ears. She fought to remember what had happened: the last thing she could recall was Emma Swan giving the Dark One her heart, and then boom, there had been a great, thunderous eruption out of nowhere, dazing everyone still present in the vast warehouse.

As she started to regain her sight, she noticed a thick, heavy purple smoke had filled the four walls of the room, preventing her from seeing anything. Her tentacles were still wrapped around Prince Charming’s neck - or at least someone’s neck - and she tightened her grip firmly around it as she waved her hands about in an attempt to clear the air.

As the fog started to fade, she saw the Savior was knocked out, unconscious, on the cold cement floor, and her son was still strapped to his chair. A confused Cruella stood nearby, her thin, rod-like body lurching back and forth like a pole in the wind, her gun dangling from her fingers.

Snow White and Prince Charming were still there, too; Rumplestiltskin, Regina and Maleficent, however, had vanished.

“D-darling?” Cruella called out as she, too, reacquired her vision, “what just happened? What was that?”

“I don’t know. Mal and the other two are gone,” as she spoke, she felt her tentacle jerk as Charming lurched forward, towards his passed out daughter on the floor. Ursula pulled him back with her tentacle, throwing him into a nearby wall and knocking down Snow White as she did so.

“ _You_ , don’t move or I’ll put a bullet in that overly-large head of yours,” Ursula could hear Cruella sneer from behind her as the other woman shoved her gun into Henry’s neck. “And trust me, you little brat, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“Where did they go?” Ursula asked her companion, looking around the room. She still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.

“I don’t know, darling,” Cruella muttered, “that explosion went off the second the Savior’s heart touched Rumple’s palm.”

“He tricked you,” Mary Margaret coughed as she pushed herself off the ground, “Rumplestiltskin betrayed you. He used you to get Emma’s heart, and then left you behind.”

Ursula paused for a second, pondering as to what could’ve happened, before finally coming to the same conclusion. “She's right. _The Dark One_ ,” she snarled, as her and Cruella’s eyes met, “h-he _must’ve_ betrayed us. That’s the only thing I can think of. That's the only explanation.”

“That wretched imp. . .” Cruella started, imagining to herself all the terrible things she wanted to do to the man to make him pay for abandoning them.

"It all makes sense now: the secrecy, the odd behavior, the way he treated us. . . he never intended to help us get our happy endings, Cru. He's been using us from the beginning. All this time."

“Cruella, Ursula, you can make him pay by helping us. Betray him back, and help us get our daughter’s heart back. That’s the only way you’ll be able to stop him in time.” Mary Margaret's voice cracked as she looked over at her daughter's body. "Oh, Emma-"

“Oh, please,” Ursula growled and rolled her eyes at Mary Margaret’s proposal, “we may be enraged by what the Dark One’s done to us, but that doesn’t mean we are going to help you heroes. We’re not going to give up our happy endings that easily after all our hard work.”

One of the doors to the warehouse swung open at that moment, releasing the looming toxins that remained from the explosion in the air out into the outdoors. As they passed through, a figure could be seen making its way into the room.

Ursula recognized the silhouette of the man’s hook immediately. It was Captain Hook.

He spoke first as their eyes caught each other's. “ _Ursula. . ._ ”

* * *

The ground beneath Regina, Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin’s feet vibrated heavily as their bodies were transported from the warehouse on the docks all the way across town into the small, cozy room of Rumplestiltskin’s cabin in the middle of the woods. Much like the people they let behind, their vision was dazed for a moment or two, before they regained their sight fully.

The fireplace roared a blazing flame in front of them, casting their three shadows behind them and up against the wall, adding an eery effect to the already ominous atmosphere.

“W-what just happened?” Maleficent asked, clutching her staff and her eyes racing around the room in search of her other two companions, “where are Ursula and Cruella?”

“I’ve transported us back to my cabin,” Rumplestiltskin said cooly as he still carried the box with Emma’s heart in it in his hands. “Cruella and Ursula won’t be joining us. They're no longer apart of our mission.”

“What? You’re just going to abandon them?” Maleficent cried, taking a hostile step towards the man before her.

Suddenly Regina sucked in a sharp breath as she fully regained her sense. “ _Henry_ ,” she whispered to herself briefly, before saying it louder, “Henry! My son - where’s my son, Rumple? What have you done with them?” She pushed back Maleficent and marched across the room to the Dark One.

Rumplestiltskin offered her a smug smile. “You’re son is fine, Regina. I’ve left him behind with the Charmings - and yes, I am going to abandon them. They’re no longer an essential part of my plan. We don't need them anymore.”

Regina breathed in heavily, relief that her son was safe kicking into her, before she quickly realized she had no other options here other than to go along with whatever was going on. Henry would be secure, she had to trust, with Mary Margaret and David, and now she had to quickly focus all her attention on whatever Rumple was planning, so that way she could stop him before it was too late.

“And what about us? Why did you bring us with you?”

“Because, unlike those other two, you and Regina actually hold some value to me. Cruella was a bug, and Ursula was an annoyance, both of whom had very little power and both of whom I greatly disliked. However, I actually want you to see you two get you’re happy endings.”

“But how are you going to cast the curse now?”

Rumple replied bluntly. “I’m not.”

“I don’t understand,” Regina interjected, “hasn't that been what this has all been about? To get Emma’s heart to be able to cast the curse and get our happy endings?”

“Oh, we’ll be getting our happy endings. But not by casting the curse, not yet at least. You see, as I've learned, the curse we’ve been trying to cast. . . it won’t work. No existing spell or curse will ever work. It's against the Laws of Magic to do what we want to do. We need someone to write a curse for us, a curse that can defy the Laws of Magic.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “And that would be?”

Rumplestiltskin didn't reply immediately, instead leading them to a small, cramped closet at the back of his cabin, and slowly unfastened the heavily bolted door, revealing a small, wimpish man crawled up in one of the corners of the tiny space. “Him,” the Dark One motioned his head forward, “ _the Author_.”

* * *

“ _You_ ,” Ursula’s eyes narrowed, her brows concaving, as a furious frown curved itself across her face, “Hook - If you’re here to save your friends, don’t bother. It's no use, I should kill them all just because you’re making me see your disgusting face again.” She did little to mask the rage boiling up inside of her, one that had been brewing for decades, ever since he'd stolen away from her her happy ending; the only thing she had left of her mother: her voice.

“ _Wait_ , hear me out. I have something you want.” He held out his hand towards her, and, she hesitantly eyed it, making sure not to loosen her grip around Charming’s neck. She gasped as she saw the small, cream-white shell cupped in the palm of his hand. The shell that contained none-other-than her voice.

“You still have it.”

“Since the day I took it from you. I’m here to give it back to you, if you’ll let them go,” he approached her carefully, though Ursula’s focus seemed to be caught up in the shell. Everyone else didn’t dare to speak, not even Cruella, who watched from afar curiously at the exchange, occasionally shooting a quick glance towards the backdoor of the vast room.

“It’s too late, Hook. You're plan won't work - it’s been so long, my body probably doesn’t even recognize it. Besides, neither of us can open that. You and I both know only my father can, and he's currently in the deepest and darkest depths of the ocean.”

“No, no it _will_ work. I found a spell in the Dark One’s shop that can retrieve your voice from it, that can unlock the shell. You can have your happy ending, Ursula. Just please, let them go.”

Ursula paused, though Hook didn’t wait for an answer, instead stepping forward and unlocking the shell with a spell he whispered into it. He was right, the spell did work, and a light, airy, golden substance flowed like a river out of the small object and into Ursula’s throat. Immediately the noise that detonated from her lungs flooded through the air, sounding like the Heavens calling down from the skies.

It was the most beautiful thing any of them had ever, _ever_ heard. 

After letting out the long note of her voice, she took a deep breath and grabbed her chest, a wide grin beaming from her face. Her handle on her captive’s neck altogether vanished as her tentacle slithered back to underneath her skirt.

“Thank you.” A tear formed in Ursula’s eye, and she motioned that she had given up.

“But darling?” Cruella said, a hint of shock in her voice, before she quickly noticed the heroes closing in on her. Firing several rounds of bullets into the air, she shoved the chair Henry was strapped into onto the ground, as a distraction, and quickly ran off to her car that was parked out back, making her getaway.

"You'll never catch me," she screamed as she raced away. 


	14. Can't Stop The De Vil

Chapter Fourteen

Can't Stop The De Vil

Cruella De Vil’s car roared like a beast along the streets surrounding the harbor, maneuvering its way along the outer streets of Storybrooke, until the small buildings and homes of the town finally gave way to dense, thickly-treed forests. The quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the wooded area was quickly shattered like glass by the blare of Cruella’s engine, as her vehicle swerved from side to side on the narrow streets, its driver doing little to make sure she didn’t swerve off the road.

As her car rolled towards the Dark One’s cabin, all Cruella could bring herself to do was utter curses against the man who had betrayed her. “That _damn_ fool, thinking he could abandon me. I’ll show him, darling. Believe me, _I’ll show him_.”

Nearly steam rolling a low-hanging tree, she jerked her wheel suddenly to the side and collided her vehicle into a field of trees, luckily finding her way through it without significant damage, until eventually she swung her car to a stop directly in front of the Dark One’s small, cozy cabin.

She slammed her door shut and started walking towards the building, fingering the cold gun in her grasp as her loose fur coat dangled from her elbows. She could see movement inside.

Cruella knew they’d be there. _If the Dark One is anything_ , she thought to herself, _it is consistent in his plans_. With the heel of her shoe, she kicked in the door and strutted into the abode. In the back of the house she found Maleficent, Regina and Rumple, their bodies hunched over something intently. She cocked the gun and aimed it at the three of them.

“What are fool you three are, thinking you could abandon me like that,” Cruella laughed sinisterly as she shoved the tip of her gun in their faces with fervor. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, darling.”

“Cruella. . .” Maleficent said, surprised to see her again.

“You made it out?” Regina added, “where’s Ursula?”

“Indeed, I did make it out, but Ursula wasn’t so lucky. She sided with the heroes, and betrayed us, darling, much like you betrayed me.”

“Lovely to see you again, _darling_ ,” Rumplestiltskin’s back straightened as he slowly moved to a stiff standing position. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge her previous words as he pointed to the weapon in her grasp with his index finger. “Put that down, we both know you can’t use it.”

“I may not be able to kill you, but I can certainly injury you severely, and I’ll enjoy every moment of your suffering.”

A weak voice suddenly chirped up behind the three of them. “Actually, she can’t even do that.”

Cruella’s hand faltered and her eye twitched at the man’s voice; it was one she hadn’t heard in many, many years, but recognized the instant that the noise hit her ears. Her lips quivered into a devious grin as the three other villains stepped aside to reveal him to her; his small body was crouched in the corner of the closet, though even then she could easily make out his face.

She licked her lips. “Hello again, Isaac. How have you been after all these years, darling?”

“Well considering you took my car- ”

This time it was the Dark One’s turn to be surprised. “Wait, you two. . . know each other?”

“You could say that,” Cruella cooed, her eyes never leaving Isaac’s.

“We’re acquaintances.”

“Oh, we were a little more than that, weren’t we darling.”

“At one time I thought we were,” Isaac muttered, standing up off the ground, “at one time, I thought I loved you. I thought you were going to be that one great love that everyone has in their lifetime. That is, until I discovered the real monster you are.”

Cruella laughed a vicious laugh at the man. “ _Monster_ is far too mild, darling! _Devil_ is much more appropriate.”

“You’ve known the Author this whole time, Cruella, and you didn’t tell us?” Maleficent looked wide-eyed at her friend beside her, the tip of her hat casting a light shadow over her face.

“Of course I have, though I never thought you’d find him. In fact, I’d have never guessed I’d see that squeamish face of yours again. How did you get here, anyways, darling?”

“I’ve been trapped in a page for the last thirty years- ”

“And I freed him,” Rumplestiltskin finished, clearly plotting what his next move was going to be as he brushed the edge of his chin with the very tips of his fingers.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyways,” Cruella admitted, as she pushed her gun into his chest, “since you’re going to undo what you took from me right now, darling. It’s been far too long, and I’m tired of being denied my happiness. So get a blasted sheet of paper, retrieve your pen and ink, and write me back my ability to kill.”

“Looks who’s the fool now,” Isaac laughed, “you see, my dear Cruella, I have no ink. I’m fresh out. And no ink, mean no writing; a warrior can’t fight without his weapons.”

“That’s what this is for,” Rumplestiltskin intervened, holding out the Savior’s heart, “but we’re not wasting a drop of it on _you_.” He looked directly at Cruella.

“But you owe me it, darling, after abandoning me at that foul warehouse with those heroes. Dark One, you promised us our happy endings. You promised the villains would win - you can’t deny me that now!”

“But the villains _will_ win, and, actually, I can. You’ve been a pest in my side since the day I brought you to Storybrooke to help me resurrect Maleficent. In fact, I never intended to give you or the Sea Witch you’re happy endings.” He twirled his hand, and Cruella found herself thrown to the ground. “I’ve been using you since the start.”

* * *

 After Cruella had made her escape, Snow White, Prince Charming and Hook had freed Henry from his ropes, and had then focused on reviving Emma, who still was passed out on the cement ground. Luckily, they had been able to bring her back, but - based on the growing paleness of her face, the forming dark circles under her dying eyes, and the weakness of her body - it was clear that her strength was evaporating from her. They needed to get her heart back inside of her. And fast. 

"Ursula, what are they planning? Where are the rest of the villains?" Charming asked the Sea Witch, who had remained lingering near by. 

"I don't know," she muttered sadly in reply, "the Dark One lied to me and Cruella and betrayed us both. Who knows how much of what he told us was really the truth? He's been plotting this who plan since the very beginning. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't be of much help."  

"Anything at all you can think of? Any piece of information might help us?" Hook asked, helping Emma up off the ground as the Savior's parents and Henry assisted him. 

"The Dark One's cabin," Ursula finally blurted out, "that's where we've been hiding out the past few days, and he said that's where we'd all meet up and cast the curse, together. But he may have moved somewhere else. He might not even be there."

Hook nodded to the Charmings. "At least it's something." 

"We don't have much time," Emma sputtered, summoning up as much strength as she could to speak, "we have to go there. Now. It's the best lead we've got to stop this curse from happening."

* * *

 “What is your plan, Rumple,” Regina asked, eyeing Cruella’s unconscious body uneasily, hoping that she wouldn’t be next, “how are you going to get this. . . man. . . to write us our curse. If he can’t write us our happy endings, what makes you so sure he can create a curse that will?”

“Simple: I’ve seen his work before; what he’s capable of, just look at what he did to Cruella.”

“Surely he won’t do it for nothing. What’s his price?” Maleficent asked simply, “You of all people should know everyone has a price.”

“And his has already been paid. Hasn’t it?” Rumple turned to the small man.

“Yes, it has. A life of wealth, prosperity and comfort in this new world you’re going to have me create with this curse.”

“Not so fast,” the four of them turned to see Cruella push herself off of the floor and suddenly start charging at them, her gun in hand as she shot off several more rounds of bullets like she hd before at the warehouse. She collided into the Dark One’s side, nearly pushing him over, but, he held fast, supported by his cane. Before she could do any damage, he had already seized the gun from her hand and aimed it at her, his finger over the trigger.

“Goodbye, Cruella,” he said triumphantly as he proceeded to shoot her multiple times, until her body, constantly pushed back by the force of the bullet’s impact, had crushed through one of the windows and toppled into the yard.

Maleficent and Regina watched him with pale, horrified looks as they saw the insane woman’s body collapse onto the grass, a pool of blood already forming underneath her.

“Now,” Rumplestiltskin said once more, turning back to Isaac and holding out the heart, “let’s write that curse.”


	15. The End of The Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trio of Evil finally draws to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flashback at the beginning of this chapter explains how the Queens of Darkness came to Storybrooke, and is set just before the events of Chapter 1 of this story.

Chapter 15  ~~~~

The End of The Trio

**Past**

Maleficent’s ashes had laid scattered across the cold, rocky ground of the massive, cavernous caves that rested directly underneath the Storybrooke Town Library for just over thirty years. It was only the most recent form her spirit had taken in this new land, and she had remained that way, undisturbed, for almost a year until a certain spell cast by a certain Dark One had teleported her ashes to the very edge of the town line, where two ominous villains stood nearby watching the scene.

Rumplestiltskin twirled his hand in the air, and there, before him, Cruella and Ursula, Maleficent’s ashes appeared in a neat, pyramid-shaped pile.

“Behold, dearies, our late friend’s ashes,” the Dark One said, turning to his two companions standing beside him. The moon was out, shining down upon them from above, and a frosty breeze rolled through, sending shivers running across their skin.

“She looks dead to me,” Ursula replied. When Rumplestiltskin had approached her in New York City, with his plan on getting the villains their happy endings, he had promised her that Maleficent wasn’t dead, but was in an incapacitated state. He’d told the same thing to Cruella when they had picked her up on Long Island, with the caveat that he needed them to help him resurrect her. But now, as they stood there, she looked pretty dead to the Sea Witch.

“Trust me, she isn’t. One aspect of Regina’s curse was that our friendly dragon here could never die; her life-form would be sustained no matter what state her body is in. So, while she may be a pile of dust now, her spirit is still tied to it. It just needs to be brought back.”

“And how do you suppose we bring her back into a more. . . recognizable. . . form, darling? I do hope you didn’t bring us out here for nothing,” Cruella commented, swerving her cigarette holder in the air.

“I need blood of three people who knew her well during her lifetime,” Rumplestiltskin said bluntly as he eyed the three of them, before looking back down at the ashes, “and who better than the three of us?”

The other two villains looked at each other suspiciously, before they both followed the Dark One’s actions and outstretched their hands over the pile of ashes. With one quick swift of motion, Rumple slit a blade across each of their palms, creating a small gash in each, from which a series of tiny blood droplets formed. They turned their hands over and let the drops seep onto the dust.

Within moments, the three of them were thrown back onto the ground, as the ashes transformed into a series of monsters, creatures and dragons that shot flames directly into the pitch-black night sky, before eventually shrinking down into regular human size.

Maleficent’s eyes shot open, as color returned to her skin and she sucked in a sharp breath. She looked from side to side for only a brief moment. “It’s _good_ to be back.”

“Welcome back, darling,” Cruella congratulated.

“So glad you could join us.”

Maleficent stared at the Dark One with an unpleasant glare. “Not to sound ungrateful, but why have you brought me back to my human form, Rumplestiltskin? What do you want from me?”

“Tsk, tsk, what impatient ladies you are,” Rumple sneered, “patience is a virtue, dearies, and I’ll very well tell you my plans soon enough. However, there is a tad bit of business I need to attend to before we do so. You see, I need to make sure no one noticed you ashes are gone, if you know what I mean. While I’m gone, acquaint yourself with your new surroundings, and meet me at the center of the town, near the clock tower. I’ll tell you my plans then.”

With a twirl of his hand, Rumplestiltskin was gone, leaving the trio of evil standing there, with a whole adventure on how to get their happy endings standing right in front of them, ready to be taken.

* * *

**Present**

“Write,” Rumplestiltskin repeated as the Author scribbled furiously on the book he had been given. The Dark One realized that, since Cruella had escaped and Ursula had joined the heroes side, that the Savior and her family wouldn’t be too far behind. It was only a matter of time till they located them. It didn’t matter much, though, since Emma Swan wouldn’t be alive much longer to stop them: they’d squeezed her heart for the ink, though it hadn’t killed her. That wouldn’t happen until after the Author had written the curse, when Rumple would use the remaining life in her heart to cast the curse.

With the strength and power that was contained within Swan’s heart, their curse would last for eternity and no one could ever stop it.

The villains would _finally_ win.

“Faster.”

“I’m going as quickly as I can; an artist can’t be sloppy with his work,” Isaac reminded him as he continued to scratch words up and down the page.

Maleficent and Regina watched carefully from a safe distance behind them. The reformed Evil Queen eyed her friend. “Mal are you really sure about this? Rumple’s gone off the edge with his betrayal of Ursula and Cruella. While they rather annoyed me, they were _your_ friends - who knows what he'll be willing to do now? We might be next!” she whispered.

“They _were_ my friends, and while I will mourn Cruella’s death, the Dark One has made it clear that he intends to give me what I want. I have to avenge my daughter’s death, Reg. You of all people should understand that. Snow White and Prince Charming must pay for what they've done.”

As she spoke, visions of her last few moments with her precious daughter flashed before the mistress of all evil’s eyes: the brief seconds she’d been able to spend with her egg, before those two heroes came and took it from her. Her baby's brief time alive before she'd been killed by them. . .

She fingered with her baby’s rattle in the pocket of her coat. T _his is for you_ , she thought to herself. _I will avenge you_.

“He told Cruella and Ursula that, too, and look where it got them.”

“I thought you wanted this, Regina? I thought you were willing to do what’s necessary to get your happy ending, no matter the cost?”

“ _I am_ , but I’m not about to let myself get betrayed by Rumplestiltskin.”

Regina’s gaze focused back on the Dark One and the Author, who were both not far off in front of them. She realized what she’d have to do; she had probably even let this go on too long between them. This plan, the Dark One’s ambition, the curse, it had all gone too far, and had resulted in too much injury. She had to end this.

And she had to end it now.

But it had to permanent, and the only way to do that was by burning the book. She’d toss it into the fire, where it go up in flames and destroy every ounce of the new curse they’d been working on. However, she also realized that it’d probably destroy her, too. Rumplestiltskin would see that, this whole time, she’d been playing all of them, and he’d probably destroy her with a fireball the second after that book touched the flames.

But it would be worth it. Henry and everyone else would be safe from the villains, for now, and it would give the Savior and her family enough time to finally stop the Dark One.

She was willing to sacrifice her life to save them.

* * *

“There,” Isaac said proudly, setting down his pencil onto the table and handing the book to Rumplestiltskin, “your curse is finished. I've created it. Everything you want, it's in that book, and all you have to do now is cast it.”

“Excellent,” the Dark One muttered to himself, looking at the object in his hands. His eyes darted up to Regina and Maleficent as he walked over to them. “Ladies, today is the day that we, the _villains_ , will finally get our happy endings. We will finally defy those heroes, and win.”

Regina knew that now was her chance, and in that moment she lunged forward and grabbed the book out of Rumplestiltskin’s hand.

"Regina?" Maleficent said as her friend ran past her and at the Dark One.

“ _Regina_?! What are you- ” 

“I’m sorry, Rumple, and I’m sorry Mal, but I can’t let you cast this curse. I can’t let you destroy everyone here.”

The rage that had fallen over Rumple’s face was clearly visible now, as his skin had turned a bright shade of red. “ _I knew it_. I really wanted to believe that you hadn’t changed, that you were still the same villain, the same Evil Queen, as before, but somewhere, deep down inside, I always knew you weren’t the same. I tried to overlook it, but now I know it's true.” He shot his hand forward, using magic in an attempt to get back the book, but in that moment she tossed it into the fire.

“ _No!_ ” Rumple cried as he shot forward towards the fireplace. But it was too late, the book was already up in flames.

“Regina what have you done?” Maleficent screamed, staring at her friend with eyes of fire. Twirling his hand, Rumple threw Regina’s body across the room and into a wall, where she collapsed onto the floor, knocked out and unconscious.

“Not to worry, w-we’ll just- ”

Just then car engines could be heard blazing, coming closer and closer, as a bright yellow bug and a brown truck swerved directly in front of the cabin, both cars just barely missing Cruella’s vehicle and almost crashing into the porch of the building. Emma Swan, Henry, David and Mary Margaret exited the vehicles and approached the building.

Maleficent looked out through one of the windows, ready to throw a ball of fire at them, but she nearly collapsed before she could do so as she saw the fifth person joining the Charmings. She found support against the wall as tears instantly started streaming down her face. She recognized _her_ immediately.

It was her child. Even though the last time she'd seen her baby, she'd only been an infant, Maleficent knew it was her.“S-s-she’s alive,” she stuttered as she collapsed onto the floor, before bursting through one of the doors outside and onto the porch. 

The heroes motioned that they were prepared should she try and attack them, but it was clear she had no intention to do so.

“Maleficent, this is your daughter. This is Lily, she came to town looking for you,” Emma said, pointing towards the woman beside her.

The dragon-lady’s lips quivered as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Mother?” Lily whispered as she approached the woman. 

Maleficent nodded, before being wrapped up in a hug by the younger woman.

" _Your name's Lily?_ " 

"Yes." 

"It's so good to see you again,  _Lily_."

* * *

After Maleficent had given up, it hadn’t taken the heroes long to force Rumplestiltskin to surrender himself. Hook had managed to also retrieve a spell from Gold’s shop that was able to paralyze his magic, which he'd given to the Charming's to use, and that, combined with the fact that he knew he’d already lost his curse and everything else, made it easier for the Dark One to forfeit, and he stepped out of his cabin with his hands in the air, glaring at the heroes in front of him. He remained silent during the entire time.

Charming approached him with handcuffs, and he strapped them onto the man. He did the same with the Author, who had followed behind the Dark One. “He forced me to do all of it, I swear!” Isaac begged as he crawled out of the cabin, though everyone realized full well that wasn’t true, and David shoved both of them in the police car that had arrived shortly after.

The last to depart from the house was Regina, and Henry nearly knocked her over as he collided with her in a tight, warm hug. “Mom. . . I’m glad you’re alright.”

“I told you I’d get you through this,” she whispered to him. In her hands she carried a box, and she walked over to Emma Swan, who still looked as weak as before. From the object in her hands, she retrieved the Savior’s heart, and with one swift motion had pushed it back into her chest. The Savior's health returned almost immediately. 

“Thanks, Regina.”

Regina looked up to see Maleficent and her daughter approaching her, their fingers interlaced with one another's lovingly.

“Hello, Reg,” Maleficent said softly to the woman.

“Hello, Mal.”

"T-This is my daughter. This is Lily," Maleficent introduced, and the two other women shook hands. "Lily, would you mind giving us a moment? And then afterwards we can both go get a bite at this great diner in the center of town called Granny's Diner." 

Lily nodded and walked away. "I'm glad you found her," Regina said.

"Me, too." Maleficent watched her go, and then turned to her friend. “I’m sorry I almost killed you in there. I was too blinded by my thirst for vengeance to see clearly. I apologize."

“We've been through a lot together, Mal, and we've both done bad things to each other. I understand what you were going through. I was a villain once, and all I wanted to do was win, but at the expense of others. I was never happy. But now, as a _hero_ , I am happy.”

Maleficent nodded with a smile on her face. "Yes. . . well it seems like, in the end, at least some of us did win. Ursula received her voice back, and also left with that pirate - Hook? - to go find her father and be reunited with him. That's all she's ever wanted."

“And what about Cruella?" 

"Haven't you heard? Cruella survived what Rumplestiltskin did her to her. Some medical transportation machine took her a few moments ago." 

"An ambulance?" 

"Yes, _an ambulance_. It picked her up shortly after the Dark One gave himself us. They said she's going to make it, those she'll have permanent injuries. And while she doesn't have her ability to kill back, she at least has her life." Maleficent paused and brushed back a loose piece of her golden curls from her face. "And as for me, I have better than what I wanted. I have my daughter back. I actually have my happy ending."

“And I have mine.”

“Maybe the villains can get their happy endings after all?”

“Maybe,” Regina said, looking over at her son, as a smile spread across her face, “Maybe they can.”

**The End.**


End file.
